The Child Who No One Wanted
by Chappy-the-Bunny
Summary: This story is an adaptation is of what an orphaned life must have been like for Junjou Egoist's sweetheart, Nowaki Kusama. [ I am aware that in the manga, Nowaki's past is lightly touched upon, but please, do not recollect the manga while reading. ]
1. Chapter 1

**The Child Who No One Wanted**

"Nowaki! You're not supposed to be playing with those dolls!"

The dark haired child, still blushing from the pleasure of play, looked up in confusion.

"W-What do you mean I'm not supposed to?"

His fellow roommate, Takeiyo, grew furious. "Dolls are for girls, you dummy!"

Now Nowaki was even more confused. "But Naomi-san never said that."

"It's common sense!"

"What're common scents? Do they smell good?"

"Wow, stupid AND dumb! How did I get stuck being in a room with YOU?" Takeiyo said grabbing the dolls right out of Nowaki's hands, throwing them across the room. Both of the dolls' heads popped off.

Nowaki looked at the dolls, then up at Takeiyo. "Why did you do that?"

"Because! You made me mad!" Takeiyo shouted, stomping his feet up and down.

"But I didn't do anything."

"NAOMI-SAAAAAN!" Takeiyo roared.

The young, dark haired woman ran into the room. "Takeiyo-kun! Nowaki-kun! What in the world is going on?"

"Nowaki was playing with dolls again!" Takeiyo shouted.

Naomi looked down at the wide-eyed Nowaki. He looked up at her, his eyes shining from the sunlight that illuminated the room through the window.

"Takeiyo, why does it bother you so much that Nowaki chooses to play with dolls?" Naomi asked, still not looking away from Nowaki.

"Because! He's a boy!"

"So? Just because he's a boy, he can't have a little imagination?" Naomi was now walking over to the beheaded dolls. "Who threw them?"

Takeiyo looked down, knowing he broke a rule. "M-Me…"

"Go sit on the T-O bench for 20 minutes, 10 for each of these poor dolls' heads." Naomi said while reattaching the plastic skulls to their necks.

Takeiyo huffed as he left his shared room to go sit on the T-O bench.

Naomi walked over to Nowaki, bending down when she reached him. "I believe these belong to you?"

"Y-Yeah…" Nowaki said, gently receiving the dolls from her.

She smiled softly at him. "Don't let what anyone says bother you. Play with your dolls as much as you want, and that's an order from me."

Nowaki threw his arms around her in an appreciable embrace. "Thank you so so much, Naomi-san!"

She carefully rubbed his back. "You're welcome, dear."

* * *

Nowaki Kusama

Age: 3

Location: Kusama Orphanage

Status: Slowly cracking

* * *

It was already time for lunch, so Nowaki skipped down the hall to the cafeteria. He noticed a couple unfriendly stares on the way, but all he chose to do was reply with a wide grin and shining eyes.

"Nowaki-kun!" the lady behind the food counter said with a bright smile.

"Good afternoon, Rika-san," Nowaki replied with a matching smile.

"What will you being having today, dear? The usual noodles with curried rice?" she asked, even though she was already scooping the rice into a bowl.

"Mhm!"

She handed the bowl to him saying, "Well, there you go, sweetheart. Enjoy!"

"Thank you, Rika-san!" Nowaki said. He proceeded down the line to the drink section to pick up his as well as usual chocolate milk. He turned around. Full tables everywhere, with no place for him to sit. He looked down at his tray, then back up, sighed quietly, and left the cafeteria, heading to his room.

He placed his tray on the floor, sitting crisscross applesauce, breaking his chop sticks apart.

"Itadakimasu…" he whispered to himself and began to eat, alone.

This was normal for Nowaki. Ever since the rainy day he was brought into the orphanage, he was shunned by all. Everyone felt the administers gave him special attention because they pitied him, and maybe that was true, but even more so since just about every day, someone would disturb Nowaki's, what seems to be, ever lasting peace. Example? Right now. 3. 2. 1.

"NOWAKI! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" Miko, Nowaki's other roommate, roared.

"Eating. What are you doing?" Nowaki asked.

"OH MY GOD! ON THE FLOOR? YOU'RE GONNA MAKE A MESS!" he continued to fume.

"No, I'm not. I'm being very care-" Miko had kicked Nowaki's bowl across the room. Noodles, rice, and broth flew everywhere. Nowaki looked at the mess, then back up at Miko. "Why did you do that?"

"YOU WERE GONNA DO IT ANYWAY! NAOMI-SAN! NAOMI-SAN! LOOK WHAT NOWAKI DID!" Miko bounced.

Naomi ran into the room, saw the mess, and held her forehead tightly. "Who…did…it?" she tried to stay composed.

"Nowaki. He broke a rule, TWO rules. He ate in the dorms AND threw an object." Miko stated very matter-of-factly.

Nowaki's head shot up to look at Naomi. His eyebrows were slanted in confusion and despair, not knowing how to defend himself.

"Both of you, just, just clean it up," she said leaving the room, still holding her head.

Nowaki crouched over, dabbing the floor with his napkin when Miko kicked him off balance, causing him to fall face first into the noodly-brothy mess. Rising, Nowaki saw that Miko had left the room, meaning he would have to clean up the mess by himself.

He didn't complain. He began scrubbing the floor of its unneeded contents, crystal droplets falling down his cheeks.


	2. Chapter 2

The sound of crashing waves battered against buildings, houses, fences, everything...The sound of a distant baby's cry was heard throughout the small village, a baby in such distress, the sound of the waves slowly making those exact cries softened.

"It's a baby!" One voice shouted.

"Bring it inside! Hurry!" Came another.

And then a third. "Just let 'im drown!"

"Get back into the flood room, Takeiyo! Hurry up, now!" The first came around again, booming.

Now, a fourth voice, a strong, bold voice, came into hearing range. "We don't have enough bedding in our structure, at the moment. We can do nothing about this child. Leave it outside."

"Leave it outside! Are you mad!" The second voice screamed. She swiftly captured the muddied, skin soakened infant into her arms. "I will **not **leave this child out here to die! What kind of director are you to even suggest something like that!"

"I'm the kind of director that values our budgets! If we foster this child, we will definitely go broke having to pay for all of the necessities that a bloody infant like this will require! Leave it to die!"

"Let go, director, sir! Let go!"

"Naomi! I am not playing around here!"

A giant gust of chillingly wet air caused the three still present voices to soften, dissolving their sentenses into vapor.

Nowaki's slightly dampening eyes shot open. The sound of late summer cicadas filled his ears. Closing his drying eyes to fully embrace the comforting sound, Nowaki let out a gentle sigh. Today was the day, three long years ago, that Nowaki was found on the doorsteps of Kusama orphanage.

Nowaki Kusama

Age: 4

Location: Kusama Orphanage

Status: Beginning to fall

Due to the fright of his nightmare, not wanting to move in the slightest, Nowaki decided to himself that he would stay in the comforting folds of his bed a little longer.

Not even realizing the flying minutes, an hour had past Nowaki's usual awakening time. Naomi, a little curious as to the fact of this, went to go check on the boy.

Stopping herself by the wooden post of the door, Naomi peeked her head into the room slowly. Noticing a gentle quiver beneath the comforter of the lowest bed caused Naomi's impulse to enter the room, her body following shortly after.

Sitting herself lightly down on the creaky-old bed, Naomi's arm stretched outward. Placing it on, what she assumed to be, the arch of Nowaki's back. Naomi felt the light tremor to slowly cease, but sadly not for long. Nowaki's small back jolted in fright when he heard Takeiyo bounce furiously on the bed above.

His head swooping down off the side of the safety railing, Takeiyo began to shout, "Naomi-san! What are you doing? Why does _he _get a special 'good morning'!"

Takeiyo's shout abruptly awakened his partener-in-crime, Miko. "Naomi-san! Why do you always give Nowaki special treatment!"

Naomi sighed heavily, her arm dropping from Nowaki's arched back. Standing up slowly, she placed her hands on both of her hips. "When both of you had nightmares, I would comfort you in the exact same way. Don't you forget that," and with that note, left the room.

"Ugh, what a baby you are, Nowaki," Takeiyo huffed, jumping down from his bunk with a thump.

"Yeah, you really need to grow up, you dummy," Miko added, sliding out of his single, separate sleeper. The two of them leaving the room allowed Nowaki to curl even deeper into his ball. Wrapping his head in his arms, his legs tucking into his chest, Nowaki gave himself permission to close his eyes, letting the still present warmth of Naomi's touch fill his core.

Once another hour had passed, causing it to be nine in the morning, Naomi re-entered Nowaki's now "empty-of-negative energy" room. With no Takeiyo or Miko around, Naomi was free to do as she pleased. With that, she swiftly scooped Nowaki, covers and all, into her arms. Rocking him back and forth, playing with his dark hair, Naomi tried her dearest to lull the shaken child into a more peacful state.

Closing his eyes at the touch, Nowaki leaned his head gently against what was probably Naomi's bosom, but this only made her encase him tighter.

"You're very warm, Naomi-san..." Nowaki whispered peacefully. Not responding, Naomi continued to affectionately soothe the small boy, brushing his over-grown bangs out of his gently shut eyes. The feel of this strangely made Nowaki remember his unpleasant dream. Wanting to now address the reason for his earlier fright, Nowaki let the skins of his eye lids slowly part, his deep blue orbs becoming present.

"Naomi-san," Nowaki began in a gentle whisper. "Today was the day my mommy and my daddy left me on Kusama-san's porch." Gasping lightly at this statement, the force of her tears being desperately choked back, Naomi nodded her head to show her understanding of this.

"Can you tell me what it was like, Naomi-san? What it was like on that day?" Nowaki asked in a much more curious voice, his tone rising above his previous whisper.

Naomi was a tad hesitant about this, but nodded her head once again. It was Nowaki's life, after all. Keeping him in the dark about something that occured in his past wouldn't last forever. "It was typhoon season," she began in a strong, story-telling tone. "There was rain and rising water everywhere the eyes could see. Nowaki-kun, you know that the Kusama Orphanage is located near a dam, right?" Nowaki nodded. Continuing, Naomi picked up on her open thought. "Well, the force of the growing waters caused the secures that held that dam together to burst, causing our small village to flood.

We had thought we heard a baby crying prior to this catastrophic event, but we honestly pushed it off as the wind. Then, when the water began to rush down the streets, myself and Kusama-san ran to the front door in worry that there _was_ actually a baby in turmoil somewhere. And then," she paused, taking a deep breath, "there you were."

Nowaki's curious eyes searched Naomi's face for some type of conclusion. When she looked down at him, he had received exactly what he was waiting for: her gentle smile.

Nowaki was now confused. It was only him there on that porch? Where were his parents? They had just ran to the orphanage during a typhoon, placed their infant child on a muddy porch, and fled? Nowaki wanted more answers. "Were my parents there, Naomi-san?"

Naomi shook her head apologetically at this, saying, "They were no where in sight, Nowaki-kun. They must have sought out shelter somewhere nearby..."

Nowaki's face wrinkled at this. "You've never seen them? You don't know what they look like, Naomi-san?" Naomi's smile faded at this, but her lips did not become harsh. Fully craddling Nowaki into her arms, she shifted herself, placing her socked feet on the cold wooden floor. Clinging to Naomi's chest to assure his safety, Nowaki looked up at the woman. "What are you doing, Naomi-san?" He asked sincerely.

Once their little journey was over, Naomi placed Nowaki down on his feet lightly. They were standing in front of the randomly placed dress-up mirror, both of them looking intently at their reflections. "Nowaki-kun, I haven't seen your parents, but," she pushed Nowaki slightly forward, "I do know what they look like."

Nowaki's head shot up at Naomi with concern at this. "What do they look like, Naomi-san?" Smiling gently, Naomi placed her right hand on Nowaki's head, his soft hair sticking through her fingers. Pushing down on it, she made Nowaki look at himself in the mirror again.

"They look just like this, Nowaki-kun. What you are seeing right now is a combination of your mother and your father, together...as one." Naomi's voice was soft and low when she spoke those words, sincerity lingering on every vowel.

Nowaki gently shrugged himself away from Naomi's supporting hand, walking closer to the mirror. Looking at it as if inspecting the piece of reflective material, Nowaki looked himself up and down multiple times. After his routine of analyzation was complete, Nowaki softly placed the palm of his hand on the cool surface of the mirror. Letting his hand slowly fall, leaving a small trace of finger smudges, to his side, he walked closer to the mirror.

Just an inch from the reflective frame, Nowaki did something that made Naomi confused: he began to embrace the mirror. What came next made the woman hold her heart dearly. Nowaki had sweetly nuzzled his head against the glass-like element, breathing out lightly before whispering, "I love you, mommy and daddy..."

Her heart almost bursting, Naomi threw her wavering arms around Nowaki, pulling him backward and away from the mirror. This action made Nowaki terribly confused. "Naomi-san, what are you doing?" He felt warm tears fall onto the top of his head. "Naomi-san, why are you crying?"

Releasing him, Naomi slowly spun Nowaki around to face her, gently brushing her hand across the soft skin of his cheek. "You'll understand when you're older, Nowaki-kun...You'll understand when you're older..."

This explanation made Nowaki desire to be older. Naomi, still crying gently, stood up tall, towering immensely over Nowaki as she directed her walk to the exit of the multiple-person bedroom. Turning around before her exit was complete, Naomi voiced in, what seemed to be, a whisper, "Oh, also...Happy Birthday, Nowaki-kun..."

Hearing the whisper clearly, Nowaki looked over at Naomi with a bright smile. "Happy Birthday to you, too, Naomi-san!" He cheered happily, feeling the need to wish the special affair back to her in response. Watching her dash out of the room, her tears leaving a trail of crystalline droplettes on the floor, Nowaki's smile faded.

After two short minutes, Nowaki stood himself upward, using his steady feet to move him closer to the mirror. Placing his hand on the cold surface once more, the boy, only four years of age, softly whispered, "And Happy Birthday to you as well, mommy and daddy..."


	3. Chapter 3

It was late afternoon, the sun showing this factor. Beaming into the spacious room, it's rays dancing over tossed toys, dusty floorboards and creaky beds, a small boy was found blocking it's light with his danty hands. That boy was Nowaki Kusama.

Giggling at the way the bright light stung his eyes, the way it made his clothes shine, and the way that it warmed his body, Nowaki sat gently upon the lowly built window pane of his shared bedroom. Breathing in deeply, letting his captured air our of his mouth in a loud manor, Nowaki couldn't help but feel melancholy. Summer was coming to a rapid close, autumn running right on it's tail. The summer was Nowaki's absolute favourite time to be at the orphanage. Aside from it's hot rooms and it's distinct, fowl odor, it was the only time of the year that Nowaki felt less "trapped". As long as he was supervised, Nowaki would be allowed to run around the courtyard, roll in the grass and get himself all dirty in freshly soaked mud. Naomi, of course, did not like the fact that Nowaki loved to make a mess of himself, but bathtime was always fun when she had to clean him up afterwards.

His deep desire to play outside now burning within him, Nowaki ran out of his room and down the long, sun-lit dormitory hallways of the orphange. Finding Naomi in the adolescent section of their building, Nowaki was shot fifteen harsh, cold glares, when he shouted, "Naomi-san! Naomi-san!"

Wanting to smile, but the circumstances prohibiting it, Naomi gave Nowaki a strained look, her expression causing him to realize he did something wrong. "Nowaki-kun, lower your voice."

Walking into the room as if he were a scolded puppy, Nowaki held his head low, his desperately-needing-to-be-cut bangs masking his eyes. "Sorry for shouting...I apologize," he whispered, his tone causing all of the teenagers to look away from him and back at Naomi, once more.

"Naomi-san, what are we going to do?" A girl, probably around the age of fourteen, asked.

"I'm not sure. This is a forced situation," she replied flatly.

"Well, it's not like we can just go along with this!" A boy voiced harshly, his tone almost matching the volume of Nowaki's previous glee.

"I know that, Asane. Keep your voice down," Naomi chided him, as well.

"The whole thing is pointless. No one gives a damn about us, so why do we even have these orientations?" The obviously eldest girl hissed. She was seventeen and tall, her body structure sharp and cutting, her voice a pure fit.

"Rika, that's not a good thing to sa-" Naomi was cut off.

Rika, as she was now known as, threw her arms into the air. "Well, why the hell not! It's not like I'm going to get adopted! Look at me, I'm seventeen! Come winter, I'm out of this place! On my own! How do you think that makes me feel, huh? I was here ever since I was _his _age!" Nowaki felt a cold finger shot at him, the action making him jump and cower.

"Rika! Hush yourself!" Naomi warned.

"Why should I? I mean, this little cutie is probably going to get adopted before he turns five!" She was still referring to Nowaki. The boy being accused stepped back. The accuser stepped forward. "He's had nothing but love and affection his entire life, here! Sure we've all gotten it as his age, but look at us now! Every single one of us, in this room, loathes their very selves to their deep core! And it's all our parents' fault!" Rika's voice shattered Nowaki's ears. The pain causing his hands to struggle over to them, Nowaki began to shiver. Noticing this, Naomi's expression turned hurt.

"Rika, you're scaring him," she snared in a low, dominant voice.

A wry laugh leaving the girl's straight lips, Rika strolled herself toward Nowaki. Bending down her knees to be level with the child, Rika stroked a rough hand across the hollow of Nowaki's left cheekbone. "You like it here, don't'cha?" She asked, her voice a tease. Unsure of what to do at first, Nowaki dropped his hands from his ears, their new placement at his sides. Nodding at the female's question, Nowaki's face remained frightened.

Her head tilting in curiousity, Rika purred, "Oh, is that so?" Edging her face closer to Nowaki's, her warm breath dancing across his nose, she continued, "I'll let you in on a secret, hun. Everyone in this room, we loved it here, too. It's a nice place, when you're a child." Even though it wasn't a question, Nowaki nodded once more, the action leaving Rika's hand now upon the crook of his neck. Her lips curling deviously, Rika questioned, "Nowaki, what is it that you like about Kusama Orphanage?"

His time to shine, Nowaki's face brightened. "Well, I love everything!" He cheered happily. "Everyone is really nice, and I can play as much as I like! Well, not as much as I like, but I can still play a lot. I like the food, too! It's really yummy...and, oh! I really love Naomi-san!" His last sentence was concluded with a foolish smile, his teeth glistening upon the dim room. The sun never reached the adolescent bureau, only the right section of the building. An ironic tagedy.

Naomi sighed at Nowaki's words. If she had been in a different scenario, she would have most likely swept Nowaki off of his feet, twirled him in the air, kissed his soft, bang-covered forehead and laughed along with his innocent giggles. Now, however, all she could do was seem annoyed with his answer.

Rika, on the other hand, found herself intriged by Nowaki's response. Smirking at the child, her nose wrinkling at it's tip, Rika poured her next words upon Nowaki's body in a suffocating action, her voice as smothered and thick as molasses. "Nowaki, is that right? That's your name?" Nowaki nodded. "Have you ever wondered what it would be like, when everything around you starts crashing down? When everything you once loved, you now despise? When you've come to even loathe the very name you were given?"

The question still biting his ears, his wide, ocean-blue eyes filling with tears, Nowaki was too confused to watch Naomi fiercely mouth at the girl, her snarls more than likely being roared back, in hiss form.

Reversing his step, Nowaki left the room, filled with dark, in a haze. His head pounding, his heart in a flutter, Nowaki dreamed his footsteps down the hallway. The sun had set, it's light no longer offered to guide his direction. Nowaki had intelligently placed a loose hand upon the wall, just for extra support. He felt sick. His nausea beginning to pierce his stomach, in lethal stabs, Nowaki tried to run to the infirmary, for solitude. Ultimately tripping over his violently paced feet, Nowaki fell, face first, onto the hard, splintered floorboards of the dormitory hall.

His cries automatic, the pain and sickness excruciating, Nowaki screamed in sorrow. His yelps were common from other, older children, still around his age, so no one came to his rescue. His left cheek, the same one that Rika's rigid fingers had stroked, began to drip with warm blood, as if she had plagued it.

Muffling his desperate noises through a shaking hand, Nowaki's eyes clamped fiercely shut. _Have you ever wondered what it would be like, when everything around you starts crashing down?_ His wound throbbing, Nowaki coughed messily, his placement on the floor disorderly and ruined. _When everything you once loved, you now despise?_ Panting for air, Nowaki tried to raise his small, weak body from the floor. The palms of his hands placed upon the jagged wood, his knees cutting into it as well, Nowaki's blurred and swallowed eyes watched wet tears and deep red blood droplettes fall onto the surface beneath him.

_When you've come to even loathe the very name you were given..._

Name: Nowaki Kusama

Age: 4

Location: Kusama Orphanage

Status: Realization of hatred

Stamped footsteps in the distance, their patters light under the noise of his painfilled bursts, Naomi raced herself to Nowaki's dog-like, heaving body.

"For the love of God!" She screamed in horror. "What happened!"

Taking his shaken body into her arms, his and her position in an awkward sit upon the floor, Naomi allowed Nowaki to explain, the blood running down his cheek already giving her a hint.

"I...I..." he tried to reply, his tears and uneven breathing pattern forcing him against it.

Trying a new strategy, Naomi thought it would be easier for Nowaki if all he had to do was nod or shake his head. "Did you fall?" She asked, her voice dripping with sorrow as the boy continued to cry helplessly in her arms, his moans and sniffles heartrenching.

Nonetheless, Nowaki had nodded, the action causing him to bite his salty lip. More huffs and wet coughs expelling him, his body in a violent tremor, Nowaki clung himself into the nook of Naomi's breast, his mess-of-a-face leaving it's mark on her pastel blouse. Cupping the back of his head affectionately, his midnight hair sliding through her fingers, Naomi made a soft "shhh" noise, with her lips and teeth. Her torso moving slowly, the action a strained rock, Naomi whispered, "Nowaki-kun, everything will be okay. It will all be okay."

Coughing, his stomach still sick, into Naomi's bosom, Nowaki cried worriedly, "I don't want to hate you, Naomi-san...I don't want to hate you, I don't want to hate you."

Stunned by his plea, Naomi assured, "I can't garuntee you will never hate me, but if you don't want to, then you won't. It's as simple as that, Nowaki-kun."

Nowaki didn't like this response at all. "I don't want to hate you, I don't want to hate you," he insisted. His hands dug into Naomi's skin. Naomi sighed. The grip was nothing more than a tight hold, to the woman. Remaining silent, she allowed the small child to continue. "I love my name, I love everything. I don't want to hate, I want I love. I want to love you, I want to love you."

Removing the boy's face from her breast to look upon him, the blood of his cheek now smeered, his cheekbones pale with misery and illness, Naomi tipped Nowaki's chin upward, his eyes forced to gaze into hers. Making sure that she had a strong hand on the boy's lower back to support his delicate structure, Naomi pressed a firm kiss on the very top of Nowaki's forehead, his dark hair tickling her lips.

Clinging to her shirt for comfort, Nowaki's head snapped when he heard heavy, slow footsteps begin to grow louder and louder, the rise in volume indicating the distance lessening between them and the mystery figure. His heaves had turned into quiet sniffles and breaths, but his previous screaming must have caused the man that stood over them to be disturbed. Naomi released her lips from Nowaki's bangs, the pale, fleshy pockets slightly damp.

Her face turning blank, Naomi greeted the large, strongly-built man in a flat voice. "Director."

Nowaki's large, round and innocent eyes trailed the unknown, to him, man, from his feet to his face. He was a rotund male, his features rounded, rather than sharp. One trait about him, however, was as suave as a knife, as Nowaki soon found out. His voice.

"Get him cleaned up."

With just that simple sentence, Nowaki felt as if the blood coursing through his veins had turned into burning ice. Leaving it at that, the director had walked back in the direction from which he came, the noise of his footsteps fading with each motion.

In the nightmare he had experienced this morning, the director was the person that wanted to leave Nowaki out on the porch, during the typhoon, to die. Having been reminded of his nightmare, Nowaki swallowed back at the lump that had formed in the depths of his throat. He watched the director stroll away from them, until he had turned a sharp corner and was out of sight. When that happened, Nowaki turned his face back to Naomi. A final sniffle of his nose caused the woman to smile lightly.

Allowing Nowaki out of her arms, Naomi stood up, only to bend back down once more. Her hands secure beneath Nowaki's arms, Naomi swiftly lifted the child to her hip, holding him carefully as she walked down the hall.

Nuzzling his aching head into her hold, Nowaki let out a pained sigh, his eyes closing shut with fatigue. Naomi had told him that she was going to bathe him, something that Nowaki liked the sound of. Normally he liked it when he was a mess, but a bloody and tear-stained face was not the type of grim he necessarily preferred.

When they had reached the bathing room, Naomi's good friend and co-worker, Kirei, was already cleaning a small girl. The child was about six years old, but she had no function ability in her right arm, the cause of this being a car accident. That accident was also the reason why she was now an orphan.

"Good evening, Kirei," Naomi greeted, a bright smile on her face as she placed Nowaki on his feet. "Get undressed, sweetie," Naomi had said quietly, while she strolled over to Kirei to continue to idly chat with her companion.

Obeying Naomi's words, Nowaki began to raise his navy t-shirt over his head. Wincing when the fabric had run across his still open wound, Nowaki rubbed his small hand against his cheek. Feeling a gaze upon him, however, Nowaki's eyes found their way over the the wide eyes of little girl. She had been watching him. The fact of this meant nothing to Nowaki, in all honesty. Continuing what he was told to do, Nowaki began to pull down his small, grey sweatpants, when the girl began to fuss.

"Kirei-than! Kirei-than!" The girl shouted through her thick lisp. "Make him thtop!"

The womans' small conversation had immediately haulted, their views both aimed on Nowaki. His chest was bare, his thumbs loosely hooked onto the elastic of his pants. Smiling, the women couldn't help but giggle at the scenario. Nowaki, although, was flustered.

"I was just doing what you told me to do, Naomi-san..." Nowaki explained, his voice worried. Waving a not needed "goodbye" to Kirei, for they would ultimately still be in the same room, Naomi strided over to Nowaki. Pulling down his pants for him, she reassured him that he was alright.

"She's just not used to being around boys, Nowaki-kun. You've done nothing wrong," she continued to tell him as she removed his underwear. Lifting him into the large, pre-filled and pre-heated bathtub, Naomi ruffled Nowaki's hair. He smiled as she did so.

Cleaning his cut with a non-sting, foamy disinfectant first, Nowaki splashed and played with a nearby rubber duck to pass the time. The toy was the type that squirted water. Drowning the duck in the bath's water, only to lift it when it was filled with the liquid, Nowaki squeezed the duck, his aim of water flow at a small distance before him.

"Be careful with that, Nowaki-kun," Naomi warned. "I don't really want to get wet."

Feeling playful, Nowaki continued to fill and squirt the duck, his eyes wide with his game. When Naomi had finished cleaning Nowaki's cut, she reached behind the small boy for a bottle of baby shampoo. Nowaki was old enough to be moved onto a normal children's cleaner, but Naomi loved the smell that it brought to Nowaki's midnight hinted hair.

Squirting the thick, cold substance onto Nowaki's head, Naomi began to massage his scalp, the actions causing Nowaki's hands to stop their play. Now limp in the water, Nowaki closed his eyes softly, allowed the motions to soothe his headache.

Lifting the usable showerhead to the left, Naomi turned on it's water flow, her waiting hand making sure the water was warm before she used it. Telling Nowaki to keep his eyes shut, just as they were, she let the water cleanse his soapy hair, the distinct smell of freshness wafting into Nowaki's nose.

When she had finished, Naomi handed Nowaki a small, facial cloth to wipe his eyes. His wet hands receiving the material, Nowaki roughly rubbed the cloth over his closed eyes, making sure they were dry, before he opened them. His porcelin globes coming into a hidden view from behind his soaked bangs, Naomi brushed his hair away to get a better look at them. They were red from crying, brimming with exact fatigue.

Deciding that it would be best to clean the boy at a rapid pace, Naomi lightly took the cloth from Nowaki, running it through the water before sudding it with soap. Trailing the face cloth along Nowaki's young and untainted features, Naomi's eyes were intent, but also filled with a presiding remorse. Dwelling on multiple things, Naomi made sure keep her composure.

Wringing the cloth once she had cleaned Nowaki's entire body, Naomi helped the boy stand and get out of the tub, it's water already turning cold. Kirei and small girl had already left, probably to get changed and eat dinner. Standing as still and firm as he could, Nowaki allowed Naomi to towel dry his soaked body, her movements rapid, but also careful. She moved the towel up to his drenched hair, scrunching it back and forth to soak away his hair's wetness.

Wrapping the large, fluffy and damp towel around Nowaki's small and naked body, Naomi scooped the child into her arms, carrying him out of the steamy and warm room and into the dormitory hallways. Finally reaching Nowaki's assigned room, Takeiyo and Miko no where in sight, Naomi unwrapped Nowaki's body from the towel, leaving him nude and exposed once more.

Walking over to the pajama buearu, Naomi retrieved the nightwear pieces that were obviously Nowaki's, their size showing it. Walking back to Nowaki, Naomi softly instructed him to, "step in." Complying, Nowaki rose his small legs into the pants of silk-like material. Raising his arms, like he knew Naomi would have asked, she slipped the matching top onto his shoulders, fastening the the buttons upon it.

When she was finished, Naomi asked, her voice light and gentle, "Are you hungry, Nowaki-kun?" Nowaki shook his head. He couldn't think about food now. His face was flushed from the warmth of his bath, and his eyes were drooping with sleep. Seeing this, Naomi decided, "Then, maybe you should get some sleep. You've had a rough day." Wasn't that the truth.

Guiding the small child over to his bottom bunk, Naomi helped Nowaki into his bed, tucking him in promptly after doing so. Brushing his still damp bangs out of his eyes, Naomi whispered, "I don't want you to let what Rika-chan said get to you, okay? She's just not having a good day, so I'll make her apologize to you tomorrow, alright?" Nowaki nodded. "After you left the room," she added, "I could see in her face that she felt bad for what she had done." This made Nowaki smile.

"It's okay, Naomi-san," he said weakly. "I'm okay." Naomi smiled.

Pressing a light kiss upon his healing wound, another, much firmer kiss on his forehead, Naomi wished Nowaki a good night, as she left the room, shutting off the light upon her exit. Closing his glazing eyes, Nowaki curled himself into a fetal ball, sleep coming to him quickly. He, of all people, deserved a "good night".


	4. Chapter 4

After a halcyon night of a dreamless sleep, Nowaki awoke to Takeiyo and Miko recklessly beating each other to the absolute pulp of themselves. Their whirls and kicks would awaken even a deeply asleep bear in the dead of a cold and rigid winter. It was not winter, however. September 2nd, to be exact. Miko and Takeiyo's first day of school. This day was only for them, as you can see. Nowaki was only at the age of four, so he was not mature enough to attend the six-year old program, also known as "Kindergarten."

"Take that!" Takeiyo shouted, sending a punch right into the left side of Miko's jaw. Nowaki heard the smack from underneath his pillow. It sounded brutal.

"Why you-!" Punching his puncher in the stomach, a loud expell of a wail leaving the receiver, Nowaki winced. He was not even involved in this brawl, but the sounds and expultions he was listening to were nauseating.

"Miko, you're such a jerk!" Pushing Miko to the ground, a loud boom of a noise heard upon the hard wood floor, Nowaki could only guess one thing: Miko had hit his head.

Tears had instantly welled into the boy of eight-years' eyes, the quiet whimper of pain coming shortly after. "T-Takeiy-yo, you're s-so mean, you idiot!"

Peeking his head out from underneath his pillow, Nowaki looked at the two warriors. They were all the way across the room, right by the window. Squinting his tired eyes, Nowaki could see the faint drabble of dark red blood trickling down Miko's forehead. He must have fallen on his face.

Running into the room, awe-struck and angered, Noami demanded for an explanation. "What on **Earth **happened in here!"

Pulling his pillow back over his head stealthly, Nowaki listened carefully to what was going to happen next. He thought that Takeiyo and Miko were best friends, but it appeared to him that even friends fight, too. The whole situation was just baffling to him, being the man of forty trapped in the body of four that he was. What could have possibly set them aflare?

"T-Takeiyo pushed m-me!" Miko complained, whines and cries still a part of his speech.

"He punched me!" Takeiyo defended. "Right in the stomach!"

"No, I didn't!" Miko lied, his tears muffling his words.

"Yeah, you did! Ask the brat!" "The brat". Takeiyo was referring to Nowaki.

Shrinking in his large, fluffy bed covers, Nowaki prayed that Naomi would leave him out of this dilema. She had noticed that Nowaki was scrunching beneath his bed sheets. She sighed. _Nowaki-kun is exposed to far too much..._ she thought silently.

"Look! You two need to cool it!" Naomi said in a shout, her tone harsh with absolutely no compassion. "You have school today, in case you didn't remember, so get yourselves pulled together and get to class!"

Miko, wiping the final tears out of his eyes, got up from the floor in a stumble. Takeiyo and he had retreated from the room like scolded puppies, which, when you come down to it, they pretty much were.

Sighing as she held her forehead, Naomi lightly squatted down onto the floor. Her fingers working into the lightly forming wrinkles in between her eyebrows, Naomi began whispering secretive things to herself. Nowaki grew curious as to this. She was using a foreign language to him. Poking his head out from under his covers, his appearance somewhat like that of a joey, Nowaki watched as light, sparkling diamonds fell from Naomi's eyes, dripping onto the floor silently. Nowaki eyebrows creased in worry.

"Naomi-san?" Nowaki whispered in question. Hearing Nowaki's voice caused Naomi to jump to her feet.

"Ah! Sorry for scaring you, Nowaki-kun!" she apologized. Quickly walking over to his bedside, squatting down by her knees once more and placing her arms into a folded cross on Nowaki's mattress, Naomi began to rub to child's night-of-lacking-stars black hair. "Naomi-san was just thinking about some sad things. She'll be okay."

Nowaki's left cheek squished into his pillow, allowing Naomi to continue to brush his hair with her long, slim fingers. "Naomi-san, what were you saying? I couldn't understand you..." Nowaki asked, his tone full of air.

Naomi's eyes widened, but she let out a light laugh. "I wouldn't've expected you to understand, Nowaki-kun. I was speaking in English."

"English?" Nowaki's thick Japanese accent had massacred the word, but nonetheless, Naomi nodded.

"Yup!" She replied back, her voice chipper. "I went to college in America." Slowing down her speech for Nowaki, she sounded out, "A-mer-i-ca."

Nowaki's eyes glistened at the sound of Naomi's American accent. "Naomi-san, say more things in English to me."

Naomi couldn't help but smile, every time Nowaki tried to pronounce "English". "Well, alright!" she said. Standing up into her normal, towering-to Nowaki-height, Naomi spoke, "_Alright now, little Nowaki! Time to get out of bed_!"

Nowaki smiled at her, unknowing of what her foreign tongue was saying. "What'd you say, what'd you say?" Nowaki asked, practically bouncing out of his low-set bed bunk.

Naomi giggled, helping Nowaki to his feet by grabbing his miniscule hand. "I told you that it was time to get out of bed, Nowaki-kun!" Nowaki's little feet pattered onto the floor, coming to a small stand. "You have social skills today, sweetie. Are you ready for them?"

Nowaki looked down at himself. Seeing that he was in his summer, button-down pajamas, he shook his head. "No! I'm not! I have to change out of my jammies, Naomi-san!" In a fuss, Nowaki ran away from Naomi, his direction toward his designated drawer in the room's dresser.

As Nowaki changed himself, picking out his own clothes like a "big boy", Naomi's solemn eyes looked down at her now empty hand. _One day, Nowaki-kun...you won't need your "Naomi-san" anymore. You'll be all grown up. You'll be able to stand up for yourself against bullies like Takeiyo and Miko...you'll be very tall, too. Your eyes will shine like the ocean on a bright, sunny day, and your hair will still always be in those eyes, masking them like charcoal wisps of clouding. You'll find someone that you will fall in love with. You'll fall in love with them in an instant, I know it. The way you two will meet, it won't be normal at all. It'll definitely stick with the both of you, though...it'll stick to you as the greatest day of your life..._

Skipping back to Naomi's side, Nowaki looked up at his "sensei", his dark bangs flushing out of his eyes. "Now! Now I'm ready, Naomi-san!" he cheered. Looking down at his clothes, tugging on his pale green, teddy bear shirt, he continued, "See? I'm all dressed now! No more jammies!"

Naomi crossed her arms. Bending downward slightly, she countered, "You still have one more thing that you have to do, Nowaki-kun." She pressed her right index finger into the thick skin of Nowaki's left cheek.

His eyes wincing at the strange feeling, Nowaki questioned, "What is it, Naomi-san? What'd I forget?"

Removing her finger and crossing her arms, Naomi gave Nowaki a very stern look. "You forgot my 'ohayo chu', Nowaki-kun."

This caused the small boy to give a worried gasp. "Naomi-san! I'm so sorry!" Quicking jumping into the woman's arms, Naomi automatically raising Nowaki high into the air, spinning him around lovingly, Nowaki's lips released Naomi's most cherished sound. When she cradled him around her hip, Nowaki pressed a very light kiss to Naomi's left cheek. "Ohayo!" he giggled.

Naomi smiled in response. Arching her neck up slightly, she pressed her own, soft lips to Nowaki's forehead. "Ohayo, Nowaki-kun."

Putting him back down onto the floor, Naomi clapped her hands together. The loud noise made Nowaki jolt slightly. "Okay! Time for class!" Nowaki nodded his head in a big fashion. Reaching his hand up for Naomi's, Nowaki smiled brightly, when her fingers fed their way through his.

Walking down the hall, when everyone else was in school, was something that Nowaki loved. Everything was so quiet and structured. No evil glares, no manical laughter, just the air. Looking up to Naomi, Nowaki's somewhat permenant smile faded. Like the saying goes, a child knows. Nowaki knew that something had been eating at his beloved Naomi-san.

When Naomi noticed that Nowaki was staring at her, she gave him a bright, yet pained, smile. Nowaki shyly smiled back, but he really wanted to ask her what was the matter. Whatever it was, though, Nowaki knew it was probably something that only an "adult" would understand.

When they made their way to one of the old, abandoned nurseries, Naomi struggled with opening the door. Jiggling the knob left and right, back and forth, then kicking the lower half of the wooden door, Naomi had to stop herself from falling over. The door had burst open, a puff of dust wafting into Nowaki's face. His complexion scrunching up, Nowaki sneezed.

Warding the dust of with her waving hand, Naomi sighed. "Bless you, dear." Nowaki wandered into the old nursery. There were broken cribs and play things scattered here and there. "Naomi-san, why don't they use this nursery anymore?"

Naomi almost seemed agitated with her response. "Don't you see the place? It's an absolute mess, Nowaki-kun."

Nowaki picked up a small baby doll. It's eyes were made of buttons, it's dress of cotton. Holding it up to see it in the little light that was peeking into the room, Nowaki titled his head to the side. Naomi was too busy cleaning the place up a bit for the both of them to get their lessons done to notice Nowaki with the doll.

His finger tracing over the non-present mouth on the doll's face, Nowaki whispered, "A doll without a smile is like a baby without a mother."

Naomi froze. Slowly turning to face the young boy, she almost choked before she could ask, "Nowaki-kun...what did you just say?"

The doll in a loose hold between his childish fingers, Nowaki turned his head to look over at Naomi. "Did I say something wrong?" he asked, his ocean eyes worried.

Naomi shook her head. Stumbling over some toys to make her way to Nowaki, she bent down onto her knees. Holding his shoulders strongly, Naomi couldn't help the fact that tears were brimming her lower eyelids. "You're not in trouble, just tell me what you said."

Nowaki looked down at the doll, then back at Naomi. "I said that a doll without a smile is like a baby without a mother." Nowaki held the doll out for Naomi to take. "See? It doesn't have a smile. It doesn't even have a mouth."

Naomi looked down at the baby doll. It looked like a old-fashioned rag doll, to her. Taking it into her own hands, Naomi scanned the doll's face. Nowaki didn't lie to her. The doll was missing a mouth. It was most likely the style of the doll, but the fact that the mouth was missing seemed to really have bothered Nowaki.

"You know what?" Naomi asked, her expression now playful, as her tears began to dry up, upon her face.

Nowaki now looked confused. "What?"

Naomi held the doll so that it was facing Nowaki. Taking the doll's tiny arm into her fingers, Naomi moved it like a puppet. Making the doll wave at Nowaki, Naomi smirked. She placed the dolls hand over her invisible mouth. "I think this doll has a secret."

Nowaki's eyes lit up. "A secret?"

Naomi made the doll's head nod. "Ahh, she must have a very big secret, too." Holding the doll back out for Nowaki to take, Naomi smiled. "Maybe she'll tell you what it is someday."

Nowaki was cautious about taking the doll. When his hands finally encased the small body of it, he looked back at Naomi. "Can I keep it?"

Naomi nodded. "Of course. I'm sure the little girl that owned it wouldn't mind."

Nowaki smiled. "Thank you, Naomi-san!"

Naomi sighed, "Oh, you're welcome. But you know what? We're being very bad. You've got social skills that you have to work on."

Nowaki gasped innocently. "I almost forgot!"

Naomi shook her head. "Let's get started right away, then."

Once she and Nowaki were all settled and focused, Naomi held up a card. Pointing to the wording on it, Naomi explained, "Nowaki-kun, this word reads 'compliment.'" Placing the card down onto her lap, she cocked her head lightly to the side. "Do you know what a compliment is?"

Nowaki shook his head. He had never heard of such a word before.

Holding up the card once more, Naomi dragged her finger across a non-existent line below the word. "Nowaki-kun, I love your smile."

Nowaki, almost like a chain reaction, smiled. "Thank you, Naomi-san!" he giggled.

Naomi smiled. "What I just said was considered a compliment."

Nowaki's eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Telling someone that you love their smile is a...a...a computer?"

Naomi laughter heartedly. "Not a computer, Nowaki-kun. A _compliment_. Say it with me. Com-pli-ment."

"Com-pli-ment," Nowaki mimicked. When Naomi nodded her head at him, Nowaki knew that he had said the word correctly. "So, telling someone that you love their smile, it's a com-pli-ment, right?" Nowaki asked, trying to fully understand this new skill.

"It is, but there are many more compliments that you can give people," Naomi explained further. "Why don't you try giving me one!" Crossing her arms over her chest, Naomi gave Nowaki a challenging grin, wondering silently to herself if Nowaki could actually do this simple task.

Pressing his index finger to his lips in thought, Nowaki looked up to the rusted ceiling of the nursery, searching for an answer. His bright blue eyes shifting back down to look into Naomi's own, Nowaki smiled brightly. "I think you're very pretty, Naomi-san!" Removing his finger from his lips, Nowaki tilted his head to the side in wonderment. "Did I do it right?"

Naomi nodded. Ruffling Nowaki's dark hair in praise, she replied, "Yup! That's it! When you say nice things to people, you're complimenting them." Nowaki's eyelids squinted, at the form of praise.

When Naomi had stopped, she laughed quietly to herself. "You know what, Nowaki-kun? We're actually done for the day! That's all that we had to go over, and you're such a smart boy that you've learned the lesson in under twenty minutes!"

Nowaki stood up quickly, his face illuminating the musky room with his bright smile. "Does that mean I can go play now?" The boy before Naomi was practically bouncing with excitement.

Still, she shook her head. "Not so fast, Nowaki-kun. I need to tell you your homework first."

Sitting back down reluctantly, Nowaki looked up to Naomi. "Okay. What's my homework?" he asked.

Naomi held her index finger up to Nowaki, indicating the number one. "You have to give someone, anyone, a compliment, and that someone cannot be me."

Nowaki nodded his head. "Okay. I'll do it. Can I go play now?"

Naomi's lips curled into a tired smile. "Yes, you can go play now, Nowaki-kun."

It didn't take him another second to think, before Nowaki was up and running toward the door of the nursery classroom. Gasping at himself, Nowaki spun on his heel and ran back to the old changing table that he and Naomi had used as a desk. "I don't want to forget about her," Nowaki informed, picking up the small baby doll into his hands. "She probably wants to play, too," and with that, Nowaki ran out through the difficult door.

"No running!" Naomi tried to scold, but Nowaki was already too far out of range to hear her. Smiling warily, Naomi stood herself up. Brushing her shirt off of dust, Naomi walked over to the smeared window of the nursey. Looking out to the grassy fields over the horizon, Naomi took in a deep breath as she watched visions of her childhood play out before her eyes.

"Take care of my baby doll, Nowaki-kun," Naomi whispered, her fingertips leaving fierce imprints as she touched the surface of the dirty glass.

* * *

_Hello there, everyone! Long time no see! __It's Chappy here. (:_

_I know it's been a VERY long time since I've updated this story; 8 months to be exact! Have you missed me? ( Probably not. XD )_

_Anywho, I'd like to thank all of you for staying with me, if you have, and if you haven't, I totally understand! 8 months is a long time!_

_If you're a new reader of this story, then welcome! I really appreciate it!_

_I hope that I can update this story faster than 8 month intervals, so please stay with me! w_

_If you want someone to thank, thank **kc creation **for pushing me into gear. _

_I told her to threaten me, if I didn't update this story by the weekend, and boy did she threaten me brutally... =.=_

_Anyways, thank you all for reading this chapter! It means the world to me! Shoot me a review to tell me what I can do to improve!_

_- Chappy._

_P.S. I was looking through my chapters, a long time ago, and I realized that I used the name "Rika" twice! I'm such a failure. =.=_

_( This is what happens, when you take so long to update your chapters, Chappy! D: )_

_(( I know, I know! Don't hate me! D: ))_

_I'll be sure to watch myself, next time. =.=_

_So please, don't get confused by Rika the lunch lady, and Rika the angsty teenager! XD_


	5. Chapter 5

After the usual lunchtime rush, Nowaki cheerfully made his way back to his shared bedroom. Noting that Takeiyo and Miko were still in class, the young boy felt a certain sense of calm. Whenever he was alone, Nowaki could always play with his favorite dolls and not have to worry about being judged. "Girl toys" were the kinds of playthings that Nowaki felt he connected to the most. Trucks and train tracks just didn't do it for him.

Walking slowly over to his lower bed bunk, Nowaki carefully took his newly acquired rag doll out from underneath his bed covers. While he was at lunch, he figured that his doll would probably like to take a nap.

Holding her gently in his tiny hands, Nowaki smiled brightly. "Good afternoon!" he greeted happily. Waiting for the doll to respond to him, Nowaki remembered that this was impossible, because his new toy didn't have a mouth. Continuing to speak onward, Nowaki playfully tickled the doll's thread nose, "Oh, that's right! You can't speak to me! That's okay. I'll just talk to you!"

Needing to fix his bed sheets, Nowaki gently placed his doll aside for a moment. Tucking the covers neatly underneath his pillow, the young boy gave his bed a soft pat-pat-pat in conclusion.

"There!" he announced. Taking his rag doll back into his hands, Nowaki giggled lightly, saying, "You know, I haven't given you a name yet!"

Sitting back down onto his bed, the young boy slowly looked up to the ceiling. With his doll carefully draped upon his lap, Nowaki sighed in thought. "You're definitely a girl doll, so I need to think of a girl's name..." he mused.

Kicking his legs off of the side of his bunk for a little while, Nowaki suddenly gasped in realization. "I've got it! I can name you Chiri!" he exclaimed.

Hopping off of his bed happily, Nowaki spun around in circles with Chiri. "Chiri! Chiri!" he sang.

"Why are you chanting on about dust, pea brain?" Miko scowled, as he walked into the bedroom.

Takeiyo, right behind him, had also decided to chime in on the verbal abuse, scoffing, "Yeah, what are you doing, weirdo?"

Nowaki had long stopped spinning and was now standing sheepishly off to the side. "Th-that's the name of my new doll..." he replied shyly, answering the questions that he been asked.

"You named a doll Chiri?" Takeiyo and Miko questioned in unison. Before Nowaki could answer, the dueling-duo had burst out in laughter. Falling to the floor from their powerful mockery, Takeiyo and Miko began to roll over one another.

Not really knowing what to do to make them stop, Nowaki knit his eyebrows together in frustration. "Don't make fun of Chiri! She's got a secret to tell, and if you're mean to her, she won't tell it to you!" Nowaki protested weakly.

Stopping immediately after hearing the word "secret", Takeiyo and Miko quickly stood up. "Secret, you say?" Takeiyo asked slyly. Edging closer to Nowaki in a coy manner, Takeiyo continued to prod by questioning, "What _kind_ of secret?"

Miko slithered his way over to Nowaki as well, chiming in, "Yeah, what _kind_ of secret?"

A cat catching his tongue, the young boy looked down at his doll for help. Nothing coming from her, not even a smile for support, Nowaki stuttered in response, "W-well, I-I'm not all that sure...b-but-! Naomi-san said that Chiri has a secret that she has to tell, so I believe her!"

Rolling their eyes in disappointment, Takeiyo and Miko walked away from Nowaki, going off to a far corner of the bedroom. "You're so weird, weirdo," Miko taunted.

"Yeah, so weird," Takeiyo added.

Picking up a soccer ball, Miko tossed it over to Takeiyo. "Yo, wanna play some soccer?" he asked casually.

"Sure, let's go to the field," Takeiyo replied, tossing the ball back to his buddy.

As the boys left the room, ultimately leaving him to his own agenda, Nowaki sighed. He kind of wanted to play soccer, too. He didn't know the rules and he was sure that his short legs wouldn't be of any good use to him when he had to run with the ball, but Nowaki had always admired the orphans that played the game. He would watch them from the window within his bedroom. The game looked fun, but above all else, to Nowaki, soccer looked a whole lot more than just fun; it looked freeing.

His feet carrying him as he began to chase after Takeiyo and Miko, Nowaki frantically waved his hand in the air for the two to stop. When they didn't, Nowaki knew that he was going to have to run faster.

Not catching up with Takeiyo and Miko until the three of them had reached the grassy field on the other side of the orphanage, Nowaki heaved desperately for air as he called out to the boys, shouting, "Guys! Guys...guys! Wait for me!"

Groaning in annoyance, Miko and Takeiyo both turned around, eying Nowaki in disgust as he trotted closer toward the both of them.

"What do you want?" Miko asked, his tone clearly not pleased.

Skidding to a stop in front of the duo and placing steadying hands upon the caps of his knees, Nowaki took in three huge gulps of oxygen, letting out three, equivalent long breaths of carbon dioxide.

"Can I..." he began, his lungs still screaming for air, "...I, can I play with you?"

Raising an eyebrow at the clearly non-athletic little tike in front of him, Takeiyo shook his head and denied Nowaki's plea.

"You're too slow and small. Go inside and play with your dolls, or something," he said, fitting one of his hands into his hip, the other still hugging the soccer ball. "I'm sure your dust doll already misses you."

Nowaki shook his head and stood straight, getting ready to beg if he had to. "Please!" he began, clapping his hands together and bowing his head graciously. "I really want to play soccer with you! I'll never ask anything else ever again!"

The crisp air of early autumn wriggled leaves, making the colorful trees of nearby places dance and paint the sky with their beauty. The noises of such ripe leaves lingered in the silence as Takeiyo and Miko contemplated on whether or not they should let "the little nuisance" play with them.

Sighing, Miko threw his hands up defeat. "Fine," he said, his expression anything but excited, "you can play with us...as the goal keeper."

Looking up to the boys in delight, his ocean-blue eyes sparkling from behind his dark bangs, Nowaki jumped up and down with glee. "Thank you!" he cheered, wanting to hug the boys, but deciding against it with the fear that they would change their minds. "I won't let you down! I promise!"

"Oh, I'm sure you won't," Takeiyo groaned.

Turning around to guide Nowaki further into the open field, Takeiyo's lips curled up into one of the most evil grins that Miko had ever seen from his best friend. Miko had giggled like a hyena at this, patting Takeiyo on the back with the realization of why he was smiling in such a devilish fashion.

"I'm sure you won't."

Dribbles and passes were made between Takeiyo and Miko, as the two boys ran around on the grassy field with such grace and stability. It appeared to Nowaki that the two of them were sharing a dance; one that consisted of lots of chasing and lots of leg work.

Reminding himself to keep his focus, quickly remembering this when the flying soccer ball came whirling past his head, Nowaki inevitably fell down to the ground in shock. Never did he think that Takeiyo and Miko would play like this. Never did he think that they would play so rough.

Being spat at to retrieve the ball, Nowaki quickly darted after said thing, running as fast as his little four-year old legs could take him. Maybe playing with his dolls, especially Chiri, would have been a better alternative for him.

Lightly kicking the ball back to Takeiyo and Miko, grassy friction quickly slowing the ball down, Nowaki's eyebrows knit together in frustration as he ran up to the soccer ball, positioned his foot, and kicked it again. Luckily, it had at least made it back to Takeiyo and Miko this time.

Getting into position with his legs spread wide and his arms ready for battle, Nowaki patiently awaited the moment for when Takeiyo and Miko would kick the ball his way once more. They sure did take their time, though; much longer than they had before.

Passing back and forth, left to right, right to left, forth and back, Takeiyo and Miko made a large display of their soccer skills, calling out to each other in a foreign, gameplay language that Nowaki just couldn't seem to understand.

"Back over here!" Miko shouted, waving a hand at Takeiyo.

Obliging, Takeiyo shot the ball over Miko's way, giving his buddy the thumbs up after such a wonderful pass.

Mirroring Takeiyo's hand gesture of praise, Miko turned his focus over to a very unsuspecting Nowaki. The young boy had gotten bored in such a short amount of time that he had taken to watching a bird as it created a nest off in a nearby tree.

Gaining in on Nowaki, Miko leaned his body forward, the action increasing his acceleration and causing the wind around his body to be pierced like a bullet.

"Hey, shorty! You should really learn to pay attention!" Miko shouted.

Nowaki's attention was caught just a little too late, for when he had turned his head to look in Miko's direction, the young boy had gotten a face full of soccer ball.

As if in a slow-motion, action flick, Nowaki fell backwards onto his behind. The soccer ball had rolled off to the side and Miko and Takeiyo stood silently, simply staring as Nowaki's face wrinkled.

Bursting into tears, Nowaki quickly stood to his feet. He should have never played soccer; especially not with two boys that he knew hated him. He wanted to curl up under his bed covers and cry forever. He never wanted to play soccer again.

He wanted to see Naomi.

Running out of the field, sure that he had heard Miko and Takeiyo drunk with laughter upon his departure, Nowaki made his way back into the orphanage. He was in pursuit. He had to find Naomi. He wanted to be held by her, he wanted her to tell him that everything was going to be okay, and most of all, he wanted her to tell him that she was going to protect him, just like she always did.

Racing up and down halls, peeking into doorways, and rubbing his eyes whenever they got too masked with tears, Nowaki seemed to be having some trouble. Where was Naomi? She wasn't in her usual places. Was she in the bathing room? Was she in her office? Maybe she had left to do some errands.

All of his questions coming to a quick close, his tears ending in an instant halt, Nowaki's eyes grew three times in size and his brain had shut down.

Naomi was in his bedroom...and she was crying hysterically.

Nervous and unsure about the situation, Nowaki sheepishly hid behind the doorpost. Naomi wasn't on the telephone, and she wasn't being yelled at by any of the directors, so why was she crying? Did she get hit in the head with a soccer ball, too?

Caught instantly in the act of spying, receiving a curling finger that instructed him to come forward, Nowaki warily complied, shuffling slowly into the bedroom as if he were a scolded puppy.

"How long were you standing there, Nowaki-kun?" Naomi asked, sniffling inward and dabbing her nose with a moistened tissue.

Folding his hands together and twiddling his thumbs, Nowaki quietly answered, "Not very long."

It was the truth. He hadn't been standing there very long. He had stood there long enough to realize, however, that something was terribly wrong with his beloved Naomi-san and he was going to figure out just what it was.

"Na-Naomi-san," Nowaki began, his tone mumbled due to nerves, "why were you crying?"

Laughing wryly and taking another tissue for her disposal, Naomi shook her head, replying, "Sometimes, adults just need a moment to have a nice, long cry."

Noting that Nowaki's forehead was a vibrant color of red, Naomi's expression of calm quickly turned into one of study. "Nowaki-kun," she started, "what happened to your forehead?"

His twittering and flittering of his fingers had grown all the more anxious with Naomi's looming question. He knew now that if he told her what had happened, just like he had initially planned on doing, it would only upset her even more.

Deciding to sugarcoat the matter at hand, Nowaki slowly answered, "I got hurt playing soccer."

Sighing as she pressed a tired set of fingers to the forming bed of wrinkles between her brows, Naomi slowly shook her head. "You have to be more careful, Nowaki-kun," she lectured, knowing full well that Nowaki always tried to do things that were not age appropriate. "One of these days, you could really get yourself hurt badly."

Nowaki frowned and dropped his head in shame. Naomi was right; she always was. He knew he shouldn't have played soccer, and like he had pledged before, he was never going to play such a terrible game ever again.

With a simple touch, the atmosphere surrounding the both of them had changed dramatically. Naomi had set her large, yet gentle hands down onto Nowaki, each one on either side of his shoulders. Nowaki could tell that she had something very important to say, so looking up at her with one of his most sincere expressions, Nowaki carefully asked, "Naomi-san, is something wrong?"

Her face now painted with a very delicate smile and set of rosy cheekbones, Naomi shook her head, stating that it was just the opposite.

Lifting a soft hand to gently caress and play with the midnight-black locks of his hair, the following question that Naomi had asked Nowaki was one that could potentially change his life forever.

"Nowaki-kun, what would you say if Naomi-san has decided to adopt you?"

* * *

_Hello there! Chappy here! (:_

_I would like to thank you for continuing to follow this story, if you have been. I know that I am absolutely terrible at updating this... D:_

_Still, I would like to dedicate this chapter to **puppyfacetwo**. Thank you for sticking with me for such a long time! I tried my best to update this quickly for you! (:_

_Until next time,_

_- Chappy._


	6. Chapter 6

"What do you say, Nowaki-kun?" Naomi questioned softly, wiping away her tears and sniffling softly.

The boy stood there silently, not really knowing much of what to say. This was so…_sudden_. Naomi was telling him that she wanted to adopt him. This was something that the little tike had only thought about in his wildest of dreams, and yet here she was, sitting on his bed and asking him that very question.

"Nowaki-kun, are you okay? Do you need a moment to—"

"Yes!" Nowaki had cut in, a big and bright smile emerging onto his face.

This had caught Naomi off guard and she once again questioned, "So you'd be happy if I were to adopt you, Nowaki-kun?"

"I would be very happy, Naomi-san! Very happy! The happiest I've ever been kind of happy!" he cheered, bounding about the room in an excited manner. The notion had forced Naomi to chuckle.

"I'm glad you're happy, Nowaki-kun, but none of this is final yet. I have to get permission for something like this, and sometimes permission isn't always granted…"

"Naomi-san, what does permission mean?" Nowaki asked, calming himself down enough to stop bouncing, but not enough to stop smiling.

"It means that you're allowed to do or to not do something. If you were to ask for a cookie from the cookie jar and I were to say yes, I am giving you _permission_ to take the cookie. Do you understand now?"

The black-haired boy nodded, but soon looked down. Rubbing his stomach, Nowaki whispered, "Now I want a cookie…"

Naomi laughed and stood up from her seated position on the little boy's bed. Extending her hand for him to take, she said, with a light chuckle, "Alright, we can go get you one. But don't let Takeiyo and Miko know about this, okay?"

"I won't!" Nowaki giggled, grabbing Naomi's hand and skipping along by her side as they left for the cafeteria.

* * *

"Naomi-san?" Nowaki began to ask, munching on his cookie as he looked over at the woman. They were sitting out in the back yard portion of the orphanage, both mesmerized as they observed the setting sun as it painted the sky different shades of orange and red.

"Yes, Nowaki-kun? What is it?" she replied, brushing a few crumbs off of the boy's cheek.

"I was wondering, Naomi-san…why all of a sudden do you want to adopt me?" If this had been something that she was going to do straight from the get-go, why was she only bringing it up now? So much pain and turmoil could have been avoided on the little toddler's part.

Nowaki's question must have struck onto something, because the moment his question lay lingering there in the crisp autumn air, Naomi shivered.

"I, um…" she stuttered, fingering the edges of her blouse as her head bowed low.

"Naomi-san, are you okay?" Nowaki asked, now very much concerned for her.

"Oh, I'm okay Nowaki-kun, it's just, uh…" a tear rolled down her cheek. She tried to stealthily wipe the droplet away, but to no avail. Two, three, four more fell down. Bending forward, Naomi used the hem of her shirt as a makeshift handkerchief, dabbing her eyes as she finally continued by saying, "I have to leave Kusama Orphanage, Nowaki-kun."

The shock was apparent as it spread like wildfire across Nowaki's face.

"L-leave the orphanage? Naomi-san…why does Naomi-san have to leave the orphanage?" the little tike asked, urgency lacing his words.

Naomi used the back of her wrist to wipe away the oncoming assault of tears, sniffling lightly as she answered, "Because Naomi-san has to go somewhere very far away and stay there for a very long time, Nowaki-kun." In layman's terms, the caretaker was being laid off.

"Will Naomi-san come back after her long journey?" Nowaki asked, tugging onto the woman's blouse.

Naomi shook her head, face turned away from the boy for the time being. Those eyes, those big, blue eyes, they were too much for her. The way Nowaki looked at her with such adoration and confusion, it just made her heart break into thousands of tiny, unfixable pieces.

When Naomi had been given her notice of leave, needless to say, she was devastated. Lucky for her, however, a small children's day care center in Hokkaido was hiring and her experience and standards fit the requirements perfectly, so she was promptly granted the job.

But she could never tell Nowaki this.

"No, Nowaki-kun," she whispered, rubbing at her eyes one last time as her tears finally subsided. "Once I leave here, I will be gone for good. That is why I want to take you with me. You like the sound of that right?"

Of course he liked the sound of that. Nowaki already considered Naomi his mother, even if they weren't tied together by blood. Now that Naomi had asked him about her thoughts of adoption, the tot was certain that she now felt the very same way about him, but as a son, of course.

"I do like the sound of that, Naomi-san," Nowaki answered softly. "I like the sound of it a lot, a lot."

"Good," Naomi cooed, brushing those charcoal wisps of bangs out of Nowaki's eyes, "because I like the sound of it, too."

There was someone that didn't like the sound of this, however, and that was the director.

"No," was his direct answer, his stern tone leaving no room for argument; however, that didn't stop Naomi from trying.

"But, sir! If you're going to let me go, at _least_ allow me to take Nowaki-kun with me!"

"I said no!" he shouted, slamming his hands down onto his desk, an action that caused the young woman to jump.

"Why not? You can't deny me without giving me a legitimate reason!"

"You are unfit to be a parent! You are childish! You let your emotions get to you far too easily!"

"Isn't that was being the parent of a child is all about? You need to be able to understand them and to comfort them in all situations and I am perfectly capable of doing that!"

"The answer is no! If you keep pestering me about this, I will have no choice but to fire you!"

"You're already laying me off, why don't you just pull the cord, huh? Nowaki-kun won't survive a day in this damn orphanage without someone like me! He _needs_ me!"

"What he _needs_ is a reality check! That boy needs to come down from the clouds and learn to grow up!"

"He's _four_! It's called having an imagination! Clearly you were stripped of yours at birth!"

"With good reason, my mother raised me well. That is something you will not be able to do! If you were to parent Nowaki, he will grow up to become some indignant circus freak! Naomi, this argument is **over**!"

Biting her lip to fight back raging tears, Naomi stormed out of the director's office, bursting through the doors with absolute fury. How could he be so insensitive? He was the director of an _orphanage_. For someone around children all day, he sure seemed to loathe their very existence. How was Naomi going to be able to cope with something like this? More so…how was she going to tell Nowaki?

* * *

The little boy had been occupying himself by playing with Chiri in his bedroom, bouncing her up and down in his lap, treating her as if she were an actual baby and not just a ragdoll.

"Isn't this fun, Chiri? It'll be even more fun when we are living with Naomi-san!" he giggled, hugging the doll close.

"Nowaki-kun…?" Naomi whispered, as she peeked her head into the doorway of the boy's room.

Looking up to that familiar voice's source, Nowaki smiled from ear to ear, jumping off of his bed and running over to Naomi. He crashed into her legs, giving them a tight squeeze as he cheerfully greeted her with a, "Hi, Naomi-san!"

"Hi, Nowaki-kun…" she replied, patting the top of the toddler's head softly.

Nowaki could hear the air of unhappiness within Naomi's voice, causing him to withdraw from his hug and look up at her. "What's wrong, Naomi-san? Naomi-san looks very sad…"

Sighing, the young woman bent down to become eye level with the young boy. Grasping onto both of Nowaki's shoulders, using her thumbs to lightly massage them, Naomi replied, "That's because I am very sad, Nowaki-kun…"

"Why?" he prodded. A four-year old wasn't a four-year old if they weren't full of questions.

"Remember what we were talking about earlier? About how I said that I wanted to adopt you? Do you remember that, Nowaki-kun?"

"Of course I remember!" he giggled, holding up his ragdoll for Naomi to see. "I already told Chiri that we were going to be living with you! Chiri is very excited!"

Smiling softly at the familiar baby doll, Naomi ran her long fingers through the Chiri's yarn hair.

With that once present smile now fading, the young woman bit her lip, unprepared to tell Nowaki the bad news. "About that, Nowaki-kun…" she began, her breath hitching.

"About what, Naomi-san?"

"About you living with me, Nowaki-kun…"

"Yes! I am very excited!"

"No, Nowaki-kun, that's not it. You have to let me finish…"

"Finish what, Naomi-san?"

"Finish telling you that I can't adopt you!"

That was it. Naomi had lost her temper and self-control as hot and angry tears raced each other down the canvas of her face. Needless to say, Nowaki just stood there, stunned.

"It's time for you to go to bed, Nowaki-kun," the young woman said, voice as cold as ice as she stood up and dried her face for the umpteenth time that day.

"But Naomi-san—"

"I said go to bed!" And with that, the young woman left the boy's bedroom, leaving Nowaki alone in the dark.

The tot's vision began to blur as large and bubbly tears brimmed the edges of his eyelids. Nowaki cried; he cried harder right then and there at that very moment than he could have ever remembered crying before. He was confused, scared, and unsure, three things that he didn't want to be. Just three minutes ago, he was telling Chiri how they were going to be so happy living with Naomi as their adoptive mother, but now…

Now that wasn't going to happen, was it?

* * *

Nowaki had tucked himself into his lower bunk that night. Takeiyo and Miko had come bounding into their shared bedroom much later, the sound of a bouncing soccer ball echoing throughout the walls as it was dribbled across the wooden panels.

To think that so many things had happened all in the course of one day was uncanny. Nowaki had played soccer with Takeiyo and Miko in the morning, found Naomi crying in his bedroom at mid-noon, thought he was going to finally be adopted at late noon, and promptly heartbroken of that dream in the evening.

It must have been around 20:30 when little footsteps could be heard pitter-pattering across the floorboards. Leaving his bed unkempt and hiding Chiri beneath the covers, little Nowaki left his room and tip-toed across the hallway, making a dash for the exit when and _only_ when the coast was clear.

This was it. Nowaki was running away.

* * *

Name: Nowaki Kusama

Age: 4

Location: Unknown

Status: Broken

* * *

_Long time no see, huh? o.o_

_I am so terribly sorry that this has taken so long to update, my goodness..._

_I had hoped to have this chapter up by March. It's the end of May. Geez._

_I promise to all of you, though, that this story is going to be completed, and I mean **completed**, by the end of summer. If it's not, I give you permission to track me down and prohibit me from eating or drinking until I finish writing. (:_

_I hope you enjoyed this angsty-angst chapter! Stay wonderful, you wonderful people! :D_

_- Chappy_


	7. Chapter 7

Lights hurriedly flicked on and hallway doors were burst open, curious orphans peeking heads out of archways.

"Nowaki-kun? He's missing?"

"What? Isn't he like, five or something?"

"How terrible…I hope he doesn't get hit by a car."

"Where could that kid have gone?"

Silence cut through the confusion, when a hand slammed onto the wall's cherry wood paneling. Said hand belonged to no other than Naomi. "Did someone say Nowaki-kun is missing?" she questioned, voice hushed yet posing a deathly growl to it.

"Y-yeah," one of the female orphans answered. "We…we think he might have ran away."

"Ran away…" Naomi repeated inaudibly, her balled fist lowering from its steady position on the wall. Just when the orphans thought there was going to be peace, Naomi punched the wall not one, but two more times before she stormed off, destination being straight for the director's office.

"He's gone."

"And who is this he that we are speaking of?" the director questioned, not even batting an eyelash as Naomi slammed his door shut upon entry.

"Who do you think, sir? Nowaki-kun!" Naomi shouted, pure emotion lacing her words.

"How? Wasn't he put to bed just recently?"

"I-I guess, but he's not there and absolutely no one can find him. I'm going to call the police."

"No can do," the director sighed. "They don't send out search parties unless the individual has been missing for over forty-eight hours. It hasn't even been one yet. The officers will laugh at you and hang up."

"So what are we going to do, then? Just sit around and wait until he comes wandering back into the orphanage? He's only four!"

"What you decide to do is no concern of mine."

"Such words coming from the director of this organization…you sicken me, do you know that?" Naomi hissed beneath her breath as she slowly left the man's office.

"I sicken myself sometimes," the director sighed well after Naomi's departure.

* * *

With clouded eyes and a stuffed nose, Nowaki idly sat on one of the swings of an abandoned playground. "It's just you a-and me, Mr. Swing. No one wants to play on you an-anymore and nobody wants me a-as their kid."

The toddler kicked his feet upon the dirt-piled ground below, little puffs of dust coming up with every impact. The metal chains of the swing creaked as Nowaki swung back and forth, sloppily using the back of his sleeve every now and again to wipe away messy tears.

"Nobody wants me…"

"I'm sure that isn't true," came a gentle voice. This had startled Nowaki, almost causing him to fall right off of the swing.

"Wh-who's there? Are you an angel?" he asked the sky, looking this way and that for some sort of celestial being. What he was faced with, rather, was an eight-year old boy, one with honey-chestnut hair and largely comforting eyes to match.

"I'm not an angel," the boy said, taking the empty seat next to Nowaki. "In fact, my parents call me their little devil, sometimes."

Nowaki didn't mean to, but he began to giggle softly at the older boy's words. "That's kinda funny," he chirped, wiping at a few more of his tears.

"Is it? Ahh, but I guess it's kind of true, in a way. I do get in a bad mood sometimes. Really fast, too. Anyways, what's a little kid like you doing out here all by yourself? It's really late. Aren't your parents going to get worried?"

Nowaki's smile faded just as fast as it had come. Looking away from the mysterious boy, the toddler said, "I don't have a mommy or a daddy. I live in the orphanage with all of the kids that don't have mommies or daddies, either."

The elder boy bit his lip. Had he had known that Nowaki didn't have a family, he wouldn't have brought up such a terrible subject. "I'm sure the people at the orphanage are worried about you, then. They're probably going crazy looking all around just to find you."

"No they're not. Everyone's probably asleep and don't even know that I'm gone."

"Wanna bet?" the boy had asked, eyes challenging. "If we go back to the orphanage and everybody is asleep just like you say, then I'll give you this." Reaching into his back pocket, the older boy pulled out a small, neatly wrapped piece of hard candy. "But if we go back and everybody is awake and looking for you, then you owe me a piece of candy. Does that sound fair?"

Blue orbs looked at the piece of candy with curiosity. Oh, how Nowaki wanted that candy! He was nearly positive that no one would have tallied his absence, so with a strong nod, he said, "Yes, it does."

Placing the piece of candy back into his pocket, the boy with chestnut hair jumped off of his swing with a gentle _umph_. Standing in front of Nowaki, he held out his hand. "When I make a bet, I never lose it," he said, beckoning for Nowaki to take his hand.

It took him a few moments, but Nowaki finally grasped the courage to take a hold of the boy's hand. Luck was in the toddler's favor, because had he decided to go back to the orphanage on his own, Lord knows he wouldn't have been able to find his way.

The two walked together in silence for the most part, hands clasped tightly about one another. It was little Nowaki who decided to break the quiet. "My name is Nowaki," he said, voice low and nearly inaudible.

"Nice to meet'cha, Nowaki. I'm—hey, look! All of the lights are on!" the boy shouted, pointing toward the orphanage in the distance. Pulling Nowaki forward, they all but ran the rest of the way. The boy could only think about how absolutely right he had been; Nowaki could only think of the piece of candy he would not be receiving.

"Nowaki-kun! Oh my God, you're safe!" Naomi screamed, bursting through the front doors of the orphanage. She herself had been preparing her own little search party-of-one, when she noticed two little heads of hair running by outside of the window. Wrapping her arms around the dark-haired boy, tears threatening to overflow within her lower lids, Naomi said, "What on Earth got into you, Nowaki-kun? Why did you run away?"

Burrowing his face into Naomi's bosom, Nowaki sniffled, crying tears of his own as he struggled to say, "I didn't…I didn't think that anybody cared about me, Naomi-san. I was so upset and I…I wanted Naomi-san to be my mommy, but…Naomi-san didn't want to be my mommy anymore and I…" The toddler could speak no more as his tears escalated, only sounds of crying coming from him now.

Naomi gently stroked the little boy's head, calming him down with reassurance and gentle words. "I would love to be your mother, Nowaki-kun, but the world just doesn't seem to want that to happen." Looking up to the boy who had brought Nowaki home safe and sound, Naomi said a strong, "Thank you. You have no idea how big of a deed you have done."

The boy scratched at the back of his neck sheepishly. "Oh, it wasn't a big deal, really. I was coming home from piano lessons, when I saw him sitting all by himself and figured that something must have been up."

Naomi nodded, continuing on by saying, "Well, it is highly appreciated and if there is anything that we can do to make it up to you—"

"Oh, you don't have to do anything like that. In fact, I probably should get going. My mom's gonna start worrying if I'm not home soon."

Patting Nowaki's head, the little boy sniffled his final sniffs before looking up at Naomi. "Say thank you to this kind boy, Nowaki-kun," she said.

Turning to look at the boy with chestnut hair, Nowaki would be lying if he said that he didn't feel like smiling. He really had wanted that candy… "Thank you for bringing me back here," he whispered, eyes diverting toward his feet. "But now I don't have a piece of candy to give you…"

Just then, a small hand came into his view, and inside of that hand was the piece of candy! "No problem. I want you to have it anyway, Nowaki. Even though I won the bet, I still think you should have it."

With bright blue eyes, Nowaki graciously took the piece of candy into his own hands and looked to the older boy in disbelief. "Really? You really mean that I can have it?"

Laughing lightly, the boy nodded. "I better go now. Hopefully I'll see you around sometime, Nowaki."

The toddler nodded, waving to the boy as he ran off into the night. Then, a thought struck him. "Wait! I never got to know your name!" But it was too late and the boy had already sped off out of hearing range.

A small pat on his shoulder made Nowaki's defeated look turn into one of shock. Spinning around, he looked up to Naomi who was now standing. "Come on," she said, holding out her hand for Nowaki to take, "it's time for you to go to bed."

Grabbing onto Naomi's slender fingers, Nowaki followed by her side as she guided him back into the orphanage and into his bedroom. Many orphans watched in silence as they walked by, some of them whispering things like, "I knew he wouldn't be missing for long," and others saying, "Such a drama causer."

This time, Naomi changed him into his pajamas and tucked Nowaki tightly into his lower bunk, kissing his and Chiri's forehead before saying, "Have sweet dreams."

Though she had wished him such, the toddler suffered from a dreamless night, however, he didn't mind it all too much. It was better than having a swarm of nightmares, wasn't it?

* * *

Name: Nowaki Kusama

Age: 4

Location: Kusama Orphanage

Status: Safe and sound

* * *

Two weeks seemingly passed by within the blink of an eye. Naomi had spent most of the time packing up her things and saying her goodbyes to the older children. But now, with her hair tied back and her battered and stuffed suitcase by her side, here had come the final and most difficult goodbye of all: the goodbye to Nowaki.

"You're going to grow to become big and strong one day, okay?" Naomi said, on her knees so that she could be at eye level with the toddler that she loved so dearly. He remained silent as she continued to speak. "You're going to be really tall and handsome, I know it. When you find that special person that you love, I want you to treasure them, okay? Treasure them dearly and they will treasure you." Pulling Nowaki in the warmest of hugs, Naomi brushed the younger's hair with her fingers, combing the strands of ebony.

"I will, Naomi-san. I'll grow big and I will take care of people. I will be just like Naomi-san someday," the toddler replied, hugging Naomi back with his tiny little arms. He had balled his fists, clenching onto Naomi's blouse to show his desire for her to not leave, but that was inevitable. It was her time to go now, and even though it was hard and she would be missed, Nowaki knew that no matter where Naomi went, she would go on to do great and wonderful things, always being kind and nurturing along the way.

Naomi came to a stand shortly thereafter, multiple heads peaking out from around corners and collecting at the doorway to watch as she left.

"Naomi-san, you'll be okay out there, won't you?" a little girl had asked. The woman simply laughed at the question, giving a nod.

"Will you come back to visit?" another girl questioned.

"Of course, I will. I'll make it my top priority."

"Goodbye, Naomi-san," Nowaki whispered, raising his hand as he began to wave.

"Goodbye, Nowaki-kun. Remember everything that I've ever told you, okay?" and before Nowaki could respond, Naomi had grabbed a hold of her suitcase and was out the door. A few of the orphans began crying at the loss of their favourite caretaker, but Nowaki wasn't one of them. No, he had to be strong. He had to be strong for Naomi's sake, much less for his own.

* * *

_Hello there! Chappy here! (:_

_Gah! I hope you've enjoyed this chapter! Oh my gosh, we're so close to the end of this story, everyone! Only three chapters left! D:_

_I feel like this story should have been done a year ago, but I'm just so incredibly terrible with updating that...you know...yeah. XD_

_Anyways, I would like to thank everyone that has recently started following this story! I've had people review every single chapter and write such beautiful things that it just makes my heart flood and overflow with happiness, so thank you, thank you, thank you so very much for your continued support! It is highly appreciated and I thank each and every one of you. (:_

_As I promised, I said that I would have this story done by the end of summer, remember? Summer ends around mid-September, so that is my goal. And like I also said, if I do not reach my goal, come and find me and cut off my food sources until I continue writing. XD_

_Well! I guess that's all that needs to be said, so I hope that you all are having a super duper summer! Bye bye!_

_- Chappy_


	8. Chapter 8

As the seasons change so effortlessly, life without Naomi carried on. Classes were executed as usual and orphans came and went, all with the high hopes of having a wonderful life ahead.

For Nowaki, it felt as if life itself was spinning in an endless merry-go-round of a circle that refused release.

"Give Chiri back!" he cried out early that morning, quickly noticing the absence of his prized rag doll.

"You what this filthy thing back?" Miko asked, holding said doll by its sewn arm. As Nowaki approached him, the older boy tossed the toy over to Takeiyo, forcing for a game of monkey in the middle to occur. "If you want it so badly, go and get it."

Eyes pleading with the boys for mercy, Nowaki shouted once more, saying, "Please give it back to me! Naomi-san gave her to me!"

This had sparked a keen glint to flicker in Takeiyo's eye. "But Naomi-san isn't here, now is she, brat?"

Nowaki's face drained into a ghostly pale, ocean-blue irises wide with realization that he no longer had that oh-so-warm motherly figure to look out for him, to fend for him, to protect him.

Suddenly, a rather tight feeling in the toddler's stomach became more apparent, as he watched Takeiyo flip the doll over. The boy had spotted a loose—very vital—thread. "What's this? It's already breaking apart. Just put the thing out of its misery." Pinching the string between index and thumb, Takeiyo began to tug and pull. By some voodoo magic, Nowaki could swear that he felt the doll's pain fringe up the spine of his lower back.

"Don't do that! She'll fall apart!" he cried, hands in a frenzy to reach for his toy, however Takeiyo knew better and held the plaything well above the child's head.

"She already is falling apart! See? Haha—oops," the elder chuckled, having pulled the thread all of its way, fluffy white cotton spewing from the purposeful rift. Miko laughed along with his friend, making his way over to where Takeiyo stood to give him a pat on the back.

"Hey, let's go get some breakfast," he said, signaling for the door.

"Good idea. I've worked up an appetite from laughing so hard," Takeiyo replied, discarding the rag doll off to the side, something that made Nowaki shudder.

It was impossible for him to stop the onslaught of tears that tickled at his eyelids, large droplets streaming down his face like rainfall, miserable wails accompanying them.

"Hey!" came a loud and abrupt voice, one that sounded anything but pleased. "What do you two think you're doing picking on a boy younger than you? You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Folding his arms, Miko arched his brow, questioning, "And who are you?"

Turning to the direction in which the voice had came, Nowaki was slightly surprised to see that it had been a girl, not too much older than himself, that had come to his defense.

"My name's Kimae, and you better remember it, because I'm the girl that's gonna make you eat up your words!" she bellowed, her puffy cheeks flushing with anger.

Eyeing each other with confusing, Takeiyo was the first to speak, saying, "Okay, sure, whatever. Let's go, Miko."

"Right behind you," he replied, tagging along behind his friend, giving the girl a darkened glare as they left the room.

Rubbing the back of her head, Kimae walked over to where Nowaki now sat upon the ground, mourning the loss of the only thing left to remind him of his beloved Naomi-san.

"Hey, it'll be alright," she said, tone nurturing and friendly. "All she needs is a little TLC, and I know just what to do."

Looking up at the female's contagious grin, Nowaki, too, began to smile slightly, as well. "You know how to fix her?" he asked, voice lingering with disbelief.

"Of course! Like I said, just a little TLC and she'll be good as new." Picking up the fragile doll, Kimae began to inspect its most fatal wounds. Holding out a hand, she said, "Come on, let's go."

Taking the hand without a second thought, Nowaki pulled himself up and into a stand, quietly following beside Kimae as she guided him out of the room.

"Where are we going?" Nowaki asked, curiosity eventually taking over.

"The stock closet. Have you ever been there? It's got all kinds of good stuff in it. I think I saw some needles and thread in there, the last time I've been, so it'll be no problem to fix this little thing up."

"Her name is Chiri," Nowaki whispered inaudibly, not particularly liking the fact that people kept calling his doll a "thing" or, even worse, "it".

"Chiri? Hmm," Kimae sounded, giving the rag doll a once over. "It's befitting. Say, what's _your_ name?" she asked, directing the spotlight back onto Nowaki.

"Nowaki," he responded, looking up to the girl as they walked along.

"Meaning 'typhoon', huh? How cool! I wish I had a cool name like that," Kimae laughed, a certain excitement to her voice.

"But I think your name is pretty. Kimae means something, too, right?"

"Yeah, but it's boring. It means 'generosity'. What a burden to place on my shoulders, right?"

"What does generosity mean?" Nowaki questioned, his lack of an expanse vocabulary coming into play.

"What? You don't know what it means? How old are you?" Kimae asked, slightly taken aback.

"I'm four," he replied, holding up four fingers to show the girl.

"Only four?! Wow, I should stop using such big words. I'm nine."

"You're nine?!" Nowaki gasped, clear shock overtaking his expression.

"Yeah, why? Is it because I look so young? I get that all the time."

The toddler nodded. He was, needless to say, very surprised. For being nine-years old, Kimae was very short and had a distinct baby-face look about her.

"I guess we were both a little in shock, huh?" Kimae asked, giving Nowaki's hand a small squeeze. The toddler laughed and nodded again. He liked this girl. She brought about a happy spirit to him, something that he thought he wouldn't be able to achieve ever again, what with the loss of Naomi in his life.

"Oh, look," Kimae pointed, letting go of Nowaki's hand as she walked over to an off-set closet door. "We're here. Come on over, Nowaki-kun, we have to do this secretly." The older girl raised a sneaky finger to her lips as if to shush the both of them.

Mirroring Kimae's actions, Nowaki tip-toed over to the closet, looking curiously and wide-eyed at all of the contents within, when Kimae had opened the door.

"Here are the needles! Perfect!" Kimae cheered in a tone that was no above a whisper. Pulling out the box of sewing materials, the girl went about her business of threading the needle and placing Chiri down onto the box's surface as if it were a makeshift operation table.

"It's not going to hurt her, is it?" Nowaki asked, eyebrows furrowing in worry for the well-being of his only friend.

"Not one bit. In fact, it's going to make her feel a whole lot better," Kimae affirmed, looking to Nowaki with a smile on her face, a smile that eased all of the boy's tensions and caused him to no longer worry about the situation at hand.

Pushing the doll's filling back into place and pinching the ripped sides together, Kimae sighed as she began her work. "Those boys sure are stupid. How long has it been, since they've started picking on you?"

Shrugging his shoulders and swaying from side to side about his Indian-style sitting position, Nowaki replied, "For as long as I can remember. They've always been mean to me, but Naomi-san would always step in and save the day."

Laughing lightly as she tugged her thread and pulled it through, Kimae said, "Naomi-san really was the best, wasn't she?"

"Of course!" Nowaki shouted brightly, quickly covering his mouth, when he realized that the both of them were supposed to remain quiet. "Of course," he repeated, this time in a whisper. "Naomi-san was always so kind to me and she always gave me hugs and kisses. She made me feel something that I really liked, something that I don't know if I'll feel ever again."

"And what was that?" Kimae asked, not looking up from her sewing.

"Loved."

Continuing about her work, the girl gave a simple nod of understanding. Feeling loved was something very uncommon for orphans. If one was to feel such a thing, they best count their prayers, because they were blessed.

After a few moments of comfortably collected silence, Kimae pulled the thread tight, causing for the doll's back to arch into place. Tying the string into a strong knot, showing Nowaki to reassure him that she wouldn't rip again, Kimae said, "See? What did I tell you? She's as good as new, right?"

Taking Chiri back into his hands, Nowaki nodded and smiled happily. "She's better than that! She's better than new! Thank you, thank you, Kimae-senpai!"

The older girl chuckled softly, when Nowaki had crashed into her, a full-on embrace coming from the toddler. Returning the hug, she replied, "It wasn't a problem. If I can help in any other ways, just let me know, alright?."

Putting the materials back into the box and tucking it away into the stock closet, Kimae brushed her hair out of her face as she closed the door and placed her hands on her hips, happy with her good deed of the day. "Let's head back now, okay? I'm sure you're hungry for some breakfast, right?"

On cue, Nowaki's stomach growled and he nodded, laughing in embarrassment.

Kimae took Nowaki's hand once more, guiding him back to base one as they walked through the halls in silent happiness.

* * *

The next morning, Nowaki was intent on seeking Kimae out once more, proud in himself to have found a new friend, one that would take over for Naomi's lost place and protect him.

The previous day had been spent together by the two as they shared information about themselves. Nowaki told Kimae that he had been found on the doorstep of the orphanage, and Kimae told Nowaki about how her parents lost their lives in a deadly car accident, one that she was lucky to make it out alive from. Other simple things were exchanged like favorite colors and activities, something that made Nowaki too happy to express. To be able to talk about everything and nothing, it was an opportunity that he was rarely given, even with Naomi.

Holding Chiri by the pit of her arm as Nowaki teetered around the orphanage in search of the girl, the toddler spotted another female that looked to be about Kimae's age, and this time, the she actually looked to be about nine years of age.

"Excuse me," Nowaki said, walking up to the unsuspecting girl.

"Oh, hello," she responded, a little wary of the pending conversation. This was unknown to Nowaki's knowledge, but this girl _was_ Kimae's bedroommate.

"Do you know Kimae?"

Rubbing at her arm, the girl nodded. Kimae had spoken very highly of Nowaki the night before, as the two went to bed.

"Do you know where she is?" Nowaki asked, his eyes bright and patient.

Biting her lower lip, the girl placed a hand to Nowaki's shoulder, rubbing it softly, something that the boy had not been expecting to happen.

"Nowaki-kun, Kimae has been adopted."

* * *

_Hello there! Chappy once again. :D_

_Was this chapter too cruel? Oh my gosh, I promise it only goes up from here on out. I promise, I promise._

_Well, the end of the road is in sight, everyone. Only two more chapters left. (:_

_As always, thank you for reading and I hope that you've enjoyed this chapter!_

_- Chappy_


	9. Chapter 9

Nowaki Kusama

Age: 7

Location: Kusama Orphanage

Status: Empty; hollow

* * *

Blue eyes of lackluster eased open, surveying his surroundings before sitting up. Ruffling his hair and yawning lazily, Nowaki sighed and looked over to his right, spotting Chiri flipped over in a folded mess. The aged ragdoll had seen much better days. Her hair was matted and the cloth of her skin was spotted with water stains from the many nights that Nowaki had silently cried himself to sleep, in which he held her face close to his for comfort.

There was a certain kind of solitude about the empty room as he stepped down from his upper-bunk, minding each ladder rail so as not to fall. With Takeiyo and Miko having been adopted to separate sets of parents—much to their disapproval –within the last two years, Nowaki had come to find the gentle quiet that he had been unconsciously searching for.

That was just how life was. It was a circle of repetitions that, no matter what, would always spin round and round. The mornings, the afternoons, the evenings, the nights; to Nowaki, they all looked the same. Wake up, inner-school, lunch, outer-break, homework, bath time, sleep, and repeat. For a young boy whose kindling and vibrant spirit had long been put out, Nowaki just didn't see the thrill to anything anymore, a true tragedy for the boy who was only seven years of age.

After getting dressed and brushing his teeth, Nowaki turned off the water of the sink and looked at his reflection in the bathroom's mirror. Who was that person? Was it him? Inky-black bangs masked eyes of blue like jail bars, imprisoning the beauty within. Tearing his eyes away from the repulsive image before him, Nowaki walked out of the bathroom and down the hall, not so much as even sparing a glance at those that passed by.

"Nowaki-kun sure has become hostile," a girl whispered, truly believing that Nowaki couldn't hear her. Oh, he could hear her. He heard it constantly. It was just another part of those repetitions that forcibly spun him around day by day.

"I kind of wish that he was the same as he used to be," another girl answered. The same? Why? It wasn't as if they treated him any differently back when he was three years younger. Were they all hypocrites?

Nowaki bit back the urge to cry. He was older now. He knew this, but yet, the tears stung at his eyelids, threatening to spill over.

Lowering his head, an action that caused his bangs to completely obscure his vision, Nowaki continued his swift walk down the corridor. It was to his great surprise, however, when he had bumped right into the director of the orphanage. Stumbling backward, Nowaki looked up in fright. He attempted the voicing of an apology, but the words had refused to come out.

Sighing, the director scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat. "Nowaki-kun, you're just the person I was looking for," he said. It was strange. His voice wasn't as loud or demanding as it usually was. It held something else to it now. Could it be sympathy?

"M-me…?" Nowaki muttered; a single word to escape his raw lips.

"Yes, you." Motioning for the boy to follow him, the director added, "I have some people that I would like you to meet."

Dumbfounded, Nowaki trailed behind the director like a lost duckling. Who were these people? And why…why did they want to meet him?

Upon entering the director's office, Nowaki could smell the fragrant scents of women's perfume and men's aftershave. Wrinkling his nose in distaste, the boy muttered something about how he was going to suffocate; a statement to which the director promptly hushed him.

Nowaki was guided into the back room of the director's office by the hand. He didn't like the feeling of the director's fingers interwoven between his own. They felt bony and rough, not soft at all.

"Nowaki-kun," the director curtly addressed upon arrival of the cramped space, "I would like for you to meet Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa." When Nowaki didn't look up from his ever-so fascinating shoelaces, the director gave his hand a fierce squeeze. This had jolted Nowaki into obedient submission and the boy's head shot up quickly.

He was visually presented with two smiling faces. The woman had long hair, dark and wispy like Nowaki's, but what stood out the most were her striking green eyes of wonder. The man was very tall with locks of salt and pepper. He wore glasses, but it was distinguishable that he, too, had bright green eyes.

Blinking stupidly, Nowaki continued to stare awestricken, confused as to what these strangers could possibly want with him. Mrs. Kanazawa's soft chorus of giggles had snapped him right out of his daze.

"He's rather cute," she said gently, removing the hand that she had placed upon her lips. "However, is this the same boy that we were sent pictures of in the mail?"

The director chuckled and gave Nowaki a soft pat on the head. "Yes, yes, this is Nowaki-kun. It seems his hair has grown quite considerably since we've last taken pictures of him. I apologize for his unkempt nature."

Brushing away the director's hand, Nowaki looked down at his feet once more. These people had seen pictures of him? But why? Who were they to him? What did they want? So many questions wafted through Nowaki's mind, and yet, no answers were received, when finally, the director spoke again.

"So, let's begin the interview, shall we?"

"Interview…?" Nowaki asked hesitantly. It was still a strange word to his vocabulary. Wasn't that when someone would ask you a bunch of questions and they would judge you based on your answers?

"Yes, Nowaki-kun, your adoption interview."

Adoption interview? The boy was pushed along in a blurred dazed, seated down along with Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa who promptly began to ask him eager questions.

"How old are you, Nowaki-kun?"

"Seven…" he answered with a fidget.

"What are your favourite school subjects?"

"I don't like school…"

"Oh? And why is that?"

"Because…" Nowaki faltered, feeling that familiar tingling at his eyelids once more. "Because the other kids, they don't…they don't like me…"

Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa looked at each other in mutual silence, looks of concern littering their expressions.

"Do you have a favourite sport?"

"Not really…"

"Do you like to read books?"

"No…"

The director's fingernails curled into the back of his palm as he kept up his amiable exposure during the interview. It was vividly apparent that he was displeased with Nowaki's vague answers.

"So then tell us, Nowaki-kun, what _do_ you like?"

This question in particular had caught Nowaki's attention and the boy looked up. "What do…I like?" he repeated.

Mrs. Kanazawa nodded and waited patiently for his answer.

Looking at his hands, the ceiling, and all around the room for an answer that could only be found from within, Nowaki took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly. "I like…feeling loved," he began. "I like smiles and laughter. I like being hugged and I especially like it when my hair is brushed back out of my eyes. I like soft things. I like soft hands and soft pillows. I like the quiet. Waking up to the sound of nothing, I like it. I like it when I'm running outside and I trip and fall and get grass stains all over my clothes. I like it when I can speak. I like…" Nowaki paused to see that Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa were smiling pleasantly at one another, deciding that he had already said too much.

The sound of sentimental laughter filled the room and warmed Nowaki's heart. It was so precious, so sweet. He could recall the memories of when he and Naomi would laugh together, when he and Kimae had giggled about mindless jokes. The director was put to ease and made his way toward the couple to hand them Nowaki's paperwork.

"Just sign on the dotted line," he instructed, "and he's all yours."

Mr. Kanazawa thanked the director and took the folder of papers. Mrs. Kanazawa, however, was seemingly entranced by Nowaki's presence now that he had spoken to vastly.

"Nowaki-kun, is it okay if Mr. Kanazawa and I tell you what _we_ like?" she asked gingerly.

Nowaki nodded just as cautiously and was now curious as to what her answer would be.

"You. We like you, Nowaki-kun. That's why we would like it very much if you allowed us to adopt you." Still maintaining that all-too-perfect smile upon her face, Mrs. Kanazawa reached forward and swept the longest strands of Nowaki's charcoal-colored hair behind his ear. "Does that sound good?"

Mesmerized by the bittersweet touch, Nowaki found himself nodding without conscious consent, caught up in the feeling of nostalgia. Mrs. Kanzawa's fingers had felt just like Naomi's.

"Wonderful," she breathed, almost as if in some sort of relief. Had she feared rejection? Nowaki couldn't understand why. Wasn't it ultimately the choice of the director and the guardians whether or not the adoption was final?

After writing down his name as neatly as he could muster, Mr. Kanazawa handed the papers over to his wife with a tender, "Here, darling."

She accepted the folder with a gracious, "Thank you," and began to write down her name as well.

"There's one last thing you two should know," the director added, taking back the papers with a hefty pat of the folder. "Nowaki's surname is Kusama. He was named after this very orphanage. It's up to you, as his now legal guardians, whether or not you want to keep or change that factor."

Both Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa thought for a moment before concluding, "I think it would be best if we were to keep his original surname as is. After all, Nowaki-kun is an independent boy, isn't that right?"

The gentle wink that Mrs. Kanazawa had shot Nowaki's way made butterflies stir in his stomach. He was somehow grateful that they were allowing him to keep his name the way it was. He liked his name, only to realize now that he should have added that to his prior list.

"Very well, then," the director nodded, moving to place Nowaki's papers off into a large filing cabinet. "I don't think we've discussed this, but were you planning on taking him home today or at a different time?"

"Today, if possible," Mr. Kanazawa answered. "We want to get him acquainted with his new living arrangements as quickly and comfortably as possible."

"Understood. Nowaki, as with all of our orphans, has few belongings, so it shouldn't take too long for him to collect them."

"I'll help you," Mrs. Kanazawa offered, standing up with her hand stretched outward for Nowaki to take. "Come on. We can go together."

Staring at the hand before him, Nowaki carefully placed his palm into Mrs. Kanazawa's, concluding finally that her hands were just as soft, if not softer, than Naomi's were.

"Lead the way, captain Nowaki-kun," she said in a chipper tone and Nowaki complied without so much as a second thought.

* * *

While Mrs. Kanazawa busied herself with placing all of Nowaki's clothing articles and pajamas into a very condensed suitcase, the boy silently made his bed, jumping when Chiri had slipped from her encasement beneath the covers and plummeted from the high-up bunk straight to the floor.

"Hmm? What's that?" Mrs. Kanazawa questioned, walking toward the mysterious object.

"D-don't touch that!" Nowaki shouted frantically, racing down the ladder of his bed. Picking up the doll carefully, Nowaki twisted his body to hide her from Mrs. Kanazawa.

"I'm sorry," she whispered apologetically, aimlessly playing with a few wayward strands of Nowaki's hair. "I didn't mean to make you upset, Nowaki-kun."

Mrs. Kanazawa's soft fingers tugging at his hair had calmed the boy considerably, and he suddenly felt guilty for reacting so harshly. Turning back to face the woman, Nowaki held out his ragdoll for her to see. "H-her name is Chiri…" he admittedly sheepishly.

"Chiri?" Mrs. Kanazawa repeated. "Why, that's a wonderful name. She's beautiful, too."

Beautiful was most certainly not the word that Nowaki would have picked to describe his sleeping buddy's damaged appearance, but he didn't mind Mrs. Kanazawa's usage of it. To him, Chiri _was_ beautiful in every way, shape, and form.

"What do you say we finish packing up, okay?" Mrs. Kanazawa suggested, ruffling Nowaki's messy bangs. The boy also didn't mind Mrs. Kanazawa's fascination with his hair; he was the one who reaped the benefits from her delicate touches.

* * *

After loading Nowaki's suitcase into the back of his minivan, Mr. Kanazawa sighed and wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist. "Well, that's everything and nothing, I suppose," he chuckled; making light the reality that Nowaki didn't have many belongs at all.

Exiting through the not-so welcoming doors of Kusama Orphanage, Nowaki held onto Mrs. Kanazawa's hand with his right hand and onto Chiri's with his left. Turning back to look at his dwelling no longer, the boy was surprised to see that the director and a few children from his age group were standing at the door's opening, giving him a wave of departure. It was funny; even such a kind gesture from the director still seemed threatening in Nowaki's eyes.

After getting buckled into his car seat, Nowaki promptly set Chiri down onto his lap and the engine roared to life. It was amusing how life worked. Even though the day-to-day scenarios all seemed to fit together in one big, endless circle, just one little nudge in a different direction could send your entire present and future off onto a different course.

* * *

Nowaki's life with Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa was strained at first. It took him a while to warm up to the family atmosphere that surrounded him, something that was clearly very foreign to the lonely norm that he was used to. It had also taken him a while to feel comfortable enough to call Mr. Kanazawa "oto-san" and Mrs. Kanazawa "oka-san".

Time was everything, and that was exactly what Nowaki needed: time. He had been through multiple hardships that were mercilessly placed all so close together within the span of his seven years. Mr. and Mrs. Kanazawa didn't mind it, because after all, they needed time as well. After having dealt with multiple miscarriages and adoption rejections, they knew they could use a little bit of adjusting, too.

One thing that Nowaki didn't need time to get cozy with, however, was his brand new bedroom. He could remember the very first time that he had entered it, the smell of fresh paint and clean linen assaulting his nose and tickling his tummy. His bed wasn't very big, but it wasn't incredulously small, either; what mattered the most was that Chiri fit perfectly with him beneath the covers, when it was time to go to sleep.

To Nowaki, this was his home. It was a place where he could laugh and smile once again. He could run around in the back yard and go to a normal school. He could make friends and have sleepovers. But most importantly, he could be loved, for finally, Nowaki was the child that _someone_ wanted.

* * *

_Hello, everyone! Chappy here! :D_

_Well, it's well into the season of autumn now. I give you all permission to track me down and torture me for not uploading this three months ago. XD_

_However, the two-year anniversary of this story is quickly approaching and I would like it very much if you held on for one last ride!_

_The final chapter of this story is schedule to be written and published on December 13th, its official two-year mark. It's kind of a very sentimental thing to me, so I hope that you don't mind waiting another month!_

_As always, thank you so much for reading and I hope that you have enjoyed!_

_- Chappy_


	10. Chapter 10

_20 years later_

* * *

It had been quite a lengthy time since Nowaki had given some thought to his past life at the Kusama Orphanage. Such a time was so long ago that bits and pieces of his brain would have to struggle to remember certain details, like the way that the floorboards always squeaked beneath his feet, or how the sunlight filtered in through his bedroom at precisely three o' five every afternoon. Those memories would always remain precious to him in a certain way that no one other than himself would really be able to understand. Not even Hiroki, who was still awaiting an answer to his question.

"Why do you want to know about the orphanage, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked with a gentle smile. He rested his cheek into the palm of his hand, his index finger delicately stroking the rim of his coffee mug. It made Nowaki so happy when Hiroki was interested in things about his life.

As of late, it had become quite a rarity where the two could speak so casually. That was exactly the reason why Nowaki had suggested they go out for coffee together, when he had heard they were both blessed with having the same day off.

Sipping at his own mug of coffee to hide his rising blush of exasperation, Hiroki scoffed and said something along the fleeting lines of, "Shouldn't I know more about your childhood? All I know is that you were raised in an orphanage for the better half of your childhood years, before being adopted."

Noticing the distinct features of his lover's embarrassment, Nowaki asked, "What would you like to know? I can tell you anything you want to hear about."

After some thought, Hiroki decided that he wanted to hear about how Nowaki was found. He had heard from the elders in the park that Nowaki was discovered as an infant during a dangerous typhoon, the typhoon for which he was named, but he wanted to hear the story from Nowaki himself. "Start from the beginning. We have all day, don't we?"

Nowaki nodded and crossed his legs beneath the table. The action had caused for his foot to brush against Hiroki's, yet another stimulant to his lover's blushing visage. "Well," Nowaki said, "I guess the best place to start would be for me to talk about the typhoon."

Pausing for a moment to take a sip from his mug, Nowaki laced his fingers through the handle and began his story. "As everyone was rushing to board up the orphanage to prevent it from getting damaged by the storm, I was found, crying and muddied, lying on the doorstep."

Hiroki cringed at the deeper thought of Nowaki's abandonment. It made him wonder how some people could even call themselves human beings. Regardless, he knew it still wasn't the time for him to display his input and he continued to listen.

"Because the orphanage had been so full of children at the time, the director didn't want to take me in. I can only imagine how much of a burden it would have been to care for an infant, when none of the means for taking care of one were readily available. Still, Naomi-san fought for me."

"Naomi-san?" Hiroki said in question.

Nowaki breathed a gentle, "Mhm," and answered, "She was one of the orphanage's caretakers. If I'm entirely honest, I still consider her to be my true mother. She took care of me like no one else."

Hiroki enjoyed seeing the distant look that came about Nowaki's eyes, when he spoke of her. Curiosity getting the better of him, Hiroki asked, "What happened to her? Where is she now?"

"When I was still a fairly young child, she was laid off from her job at the orphanage. It's almost miraculous to say it, but we bumped into each other recently. I would say, maybe four or five years ago. After exchanging contact information, she told me that she was only in Japan to visit a few family members and that she had moved to America and gotten a degree in teaching."

That had sparked Hiroki's interest, him being a teacher himself. "Oh yeah?"

With a nod, Nowaki said, "She's a kindergarten teacher back in the states. I think she may have said that her school is in the Los Angeles region of California." Taking another sip of his coffee, Nowaki added, "She married now, as well, and has two children; a boy and a girl." He did the quick Math in his head. "By now, they must be fifteen and seventeen years-old."

"You said you exchanged contact information, right?" Hiroki questioned, chestnut-hued eyes cast down toward his coffee mug. He awaited Nowaki's answer, but when none came, he looked back up. "Nowaki?"

The man's attention was elsewhere. How could it not be, when sitting just across the way were two very open partners, holding hands and exchanging words of endearment to one another? Nowaki observed them, watching in wonder with how oddly familiar those two looked to him. Wait a minute…

"I love you so much," one of them sighed, nipping at his partner's ear.

"Takeiyo, save that kind of stuff for the bedroom," the other chuckled, pushing his lover away.

A sly smile pulled at Nowaki's lips. _'Well, I'll be…'_ he thought silently, folding his arms and leaning forward in expectation. Sitting just three tables down sat the much older, much in love, dueling-duo from Nowaki's childhood: Takeiyo and Miko.

It amused Nowaki how the two hadn't changed one bit. Their appearances and features had matured, of course, but it had taken Nowaki no more than ten seconds to recognize them.

By now, Hiroki was growing a tad impatient. _'What is he looking at?'_ he wondered, trying to glance back at the tables behind them without coming across as too obvious. With a bit of a struggle, he could see two men that looked to be about in their mid-thirties pecking at each other's cheekbones. It was so overly romantic that it made Hiroki's stomach churn. But, was that why Nowaki was staring? Was it because the two of them never did lovey-dovey things like that? They were in public, though…

With the swallow of his stone-hard dignity, Hiroki reached across the table and pressed the most tender of kisses to Nowaki's forehead, instantly reclaiming the other male's attention in no time flat.

"I'm sorry, Hiro-san," Nowaki apologized, opting to rub his foot sympathetically against Hiroki's beneath the table. "I thought I just saw a few old friends." It tasted bitter to refer to Takeiyo and Miko as "friends," but it felt a bit derogatory to say, "Oh, I was just watching how my two worst, childhood enemies are now very openly dating and sitting right over there."

"You were talking about Naomi-san…?" Hiroki drew out in question, choosing not to look Nowaki in the eye at the moment. Such a blatant public display of affection had made him feel awkward.

"Oh, that's right. Yes, we did exchange contact information. In fact, we mostly keep in touch through e-mails. She sends me pictures of her children and students, while I send her a few pictures of my patients and of you."

Hiroki had been taking a sip of his coffee at the time that Nowaki had said that, forcing him to almost choke. "You _what_?"

"Well, of course I'm going to show her pictures of you. You're all I talk about in my e-mails," Nowaki admitted, a guilty smile adoring his face.

"What do you say about me?" Hiroki asked gingerly. He could only hope that Nowaki kept _some_ things private.

"Well, I've told her about how we met. She agreed with that story, almost as if she completely understood it," Nowaki laughed lightly. "I've also talked to her about the year when I studied in America and how hard it was to be away from you."

Hiroki bit his lip at Nowaki's mention of America, but he remained his composure. That was three years ago now, and he had to learn to leave the past in the past.

"Oh, and I also told her that you're an associate professor in Mitsuhashi's Literature Department. She thought that was very impressive."

With a confident grin, Hiroki declared, "Of course, it's impressive. I worked my tail off to get that spot!"

"I know you did," Nowaki smiled, "and I'm so proud of you. Hiro-san really is incredible."

Hiroki began to scratch at the back of his head uncomfortably. "I'm not _that_ incredible, I mean, anyone can climb their way to the top with hard work and dedication."

"True," Nowaki agreed, "but it's one thing to say something and then another thing to actually do it. That's what makes you incredible. You actually succeeded in getting what you wanted."

"You're hopeless…" Hiroki sighed.

"Hopelessly in love with Hiro-san," Nowaki corrected.

Thinking fast, Hiroki decided to change the subject, before he ignited a flame from blushing so much (if that were even at all possible). "You said earlier that Naomi-san got laid off from the orphanage. Why was that?"

Playing with a packet of artificial sugar, Nowaki responded, "We talked about that somewhat recently, actually. She said something about how the times were rough back then and that the orphanage was really struggling to make ends meet. I was young at the time, so I really didn't see the effects of it. The older kids did, though. I can vaguely remember them complaining about not having enough hot water for their baths and how their lunch portions were consistently diminishing."

"That's too bad," Hiroki said, rubbing at his arm.

"It was. In fact, I was so devastated when I heard that Naomi-san was leaving that I ran away." Nowaki tactfully left out the small detail that Naomi had offered to adopt him before everything went downhill. It was one of the memories that he sorrowfully wished to forget.

"You did?" Hiroki was stunned. _His_ Nowaki actually ran away?

Nowaki nodded. "But you know, a kind boy found me and told me some really nice things. We also made a bet."

"Oh yeah? What did that bet entail?"

"He said that if we went back to the orphanage and everyone was looking for me that he would give me a piece of candy. If not, I owed him a piece of candy."

"Who won?"

"He did," Nowaki chuckled, "but you know, he let me have a piece of candy anyways. I really do wish I could have gotten his name, though. Everything was just happening so fast that before I knew it, he was already gone."

Hiroki shrugged. "Maybe it's for the best that you didn't find out."

"Why do you say that?" Nowaki asked.

"Sometimes it's better to have that mysterious illusion in your mind, you know? He was like your childhood hero. 'He who remains unnamed.' Something like that," Hiroki replied, finishing off the last of his coffee.

"I guess you're right. Whoever he was, I wish I could thank him again."

Gently kicking Nowaki under the table, Hiroki scolded, "Live in the present. You're the idiot who's always telling me that."

"And again, you're right," Nowaki laughed. "That's why I love you."

Hiroki was caught off guard by Nowaki's sudden confession and ducked his head low. "Idiot, don't say things like that while we're in public," he chided.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sorry," Nowaki continued to speak, leaning across the table. "I would scream my love for you on the top of the tallest mountain, if I could."

"I don't doubt that for a second, but I would kill you, if you did."

"I know," Nowaki breathed, sliding back into a proper sitting position. "That's why confessing to you in public is the next best thing."

* * *

A few weeks had passed, and in light of the fact that Hiroki and Nowaki again shared another of the same day off, the two decided that their apartment could use a little spring cleaning…in the middle of October.

Hiroki had assigned for Nowaki to tidy up the living and the kitchen, whereas he would spruce up their bedroom. While he was tackling their closet, however, something very distinct, very peculiar caught his eye.

"Hey, Nowaki? What's this?" he called out.

"What's what, Hiro-san?" Nowaki asked; walking into their bedroom with a feather duster still equipped in his left hand.

Holding it out for Nowaki to see, Hiroki said, "It's some sort of…ragdoll?"

With wide eyes and a sharp inhale, Nowaki gasped, "No way! It's Chiri!"

"Chiri?"

"I forgot to mention her, when wehad that talk about my childhood in the coffee shoppe," Nowaki informed. "She was a ragdoll that Naomi-san and I had found. I loved her so much that I was allowed to keep her. Man, I thought she had gotten lost during one of our moves. I can't believe you found her, Hiro-san."

Hiroki could tell that Nowaki was very passionate about this doll and suggested, "Maybe we should keep her somewhere safer than at the top of our closet this time. With a gentle washing and maybe a few threading repairs, she'll be presentable enough to display on one of our bookcases."

"I like that idea," Nowaki smiled. "I like that idea a lot."

"Good. Now, go back to doing what you were doing, okay? I want to finish cleaning before lunchtime."

"Okay, but one more thing."

Confused, Hiroki asked, "And what is that?"

Without a word, Nowaki cupped both sides of Hiroki's cheeks and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "Thank you, Hiro-san."

"It was nothing," Hiroki muttered, attempting to hide his blushing face.

"Not just for that, but for loving me," Nowaki smiled.

It was a short while before a response was elicited from him, but Hiroki soon said, "That…I should be thanking you for that, too."

Nowaki eyes brightened immensely as he chanted, "Oh, Hiro-san! You've just made me so happy!" He wrapped his arms around him and added another, "so happy" to his glee-filled cheer.

"Enough with that already," Hiroki complained, but Nowaki knew that he needn't worry. Hiroki loved him and he loved Hiroki. It was a means so plain, yet so complex. However, in the simplest of terms, one could define Nowaki as the child who no one wanted, but the man that Hiroki have come to love.

The end.

* * *

_And with that, we have come full circle._

_On December 13th, 2010, I began writing this story with the high hopes of improving my writing skills. Now, two years later to the day, here we are._

_I honestly cannot thank each and every one of my readers and reviewers enough for their continued support. Honestly, you guys were my motivators, and this story is yours just as much as it is mine._

_As bittersweet as it is to check this piece off as completed, it also opens new paths for me in writing, as well._

_So from the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much for reading and reviewing. It has meant the world to me; it always does, and it always will. (:_

- Chappy


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